Are you BUSY?

Today we’re talking about BUSYNESS. Not business, BUSY-NESS.

If you’re like most people, one of the first things that flies out of your mouth when you bump into someone is just how busy you are the second they ask how everything is.

I’m not over here throwing stones. I do it too. And I DO NOT like that I do. I’m actively working on it. As soon as it pops out of my mouth, I CRINGE because I know that we are ALL busy.

If I am responding with I am BUSY, does that mean that subconsciously I am not feeling GOOD about my busyness? It seems like half the time, you could change “busy” with “not doing well” or “overwhelmed about the amount of stuff on my plate,” or maybe even “not doing a great job at getting most of it done.” And if that is the case, I need to work on that.

Shifting from busyness to productivity

I’m trying to live LESS busy, and instead live PRODUCTIVELY. Less hectic, less chaos, less overwhelm, more intentional and more fruitful. I want all of my busyness to bear fruit.

You may relate to this. I have found that the less I talk about being busy, and instead focus on getting each task done in a timely manner, the less “busy” I actually feel. The more I prioritize my schedule and the more productive I am. My output in a week is crazy good when I stop thinking about how busy I am. 

Busyness is not the badge of honor we all think it is. Being busy does not always mean being productive. MOST of the time, when we talk about being busy, we mean HECTIC. 

It’s a misconception that being busy equates to being productive. These two are distinct concepts. Being busy involves having a lot on your plate, but it doesn’t guarantee efficiency or meaningful accomplishments. 

On the other hand, being productive means successfully completing tasks and reaching goals. It involves smart time management and prioritizing the things that we put ON our plates to begin with. Productivity is more about what we achieve, while busyness is more about how we spend our time. 

So, we need to SHIFT our mindset from being BUSY to being PRODUCTIVE. We all have a full plate; you have to prioritize what you put on that plate, because there is only one plate. You have to fill the plate with what is important and beneficial to YOU, sit down, and then actually EAT what is on it. 

Yet, how many of us fill the plate, and instead of sitting down to eat, we walk around talking about how much is on the plate? We keep looking at everyone else’s plate and think oh that looks good! I am going to go get that on my plate too! You just keep stacking up the plate, but never actually eat what’s on it. Then you walk away STARVING and GRUMPY. 

The person that ate their original plate was busy eating. They even finished their plate and went back and got seconds. The other person was busy too, busy doing UNPRODUCTIVE and UNHELPFUL things. 

Who did everyone notice? The person was jabbering about how much food was on their plate, yet they kept popping up and going to get more. In their head, they think, look how much food I have! I can’t possibly eat all of this food! How will I ever finish! I just can’t believe how much food this is! Everyone else is looking at them like, what in the WORLD — just start eating!

The point is not to glorify being busy. I want us to acknowledge that in this phase of MOST of our lives, we are going to be busy with work, caring for the home, kids, juggling everyone else’s schedules, ALL OF THAT. Being busy isn’t a flex; it’s reality for most of us, so we just need to make sure we are being productive.

Because if we aren’t being productive, we are likely living in a chronic state of chaos and overwhelm which leads to chronic STRESS, which we all know affects our physical AND emotional health. 

Being busy isn’t inherently good OR bad

It really comes down to your mindset around it. 

Are you sufficiently busy with things that bring you joy? And do those things add value to your life? Are you busy, yet productive, and thriving? 

OR 

Are you busy with all of the wrong things — or too many things — and living in a constant state of overwhelm and not being productive. Or maybe you are being VERY productive with all of those things, but they aren’t things that are IMPROVING your life. 

Some people will tell me they have NO time to watch, or even listen to, the videos on our programs. But they are all caught up on the latest netflix series. They don’t have time to cook, but they can tell me what everyone is doing on social media. 

We’re not here to judge TV or social media. BUT I also know that we honestly can pull off way more than we tell ourselves. We spend a lot of time talking about how busy we are and procrastinating on our tasks that we NEED to do, leaving the tasks still in the air around us, letting them stack up and hang over our mood until it begins to feel overwhelming. Whereas we could just DO the task and be done with it. This is also where perfectionism comes in. Just do it. Let it be good enough. You can build on that later. 

Struggling to start? This little hack seriously changed my life. 

Put 5 minutes on everything. 

For example: I used to start my laundry and then leave it in the washing machine, and then would have to re-wash it. Then I would move it to the drier, where it would sit, and I would have to start it again to get the wrinkles out. I would then stack it in the laundry room, eventually fold it; but more and more laundry would keep piling up.

My husband would get really annoyed with me about this, and rightfully so. He said I was creating MORE work for myself with this method, which is so true. 

So NOW, I put 5 minutes on it. I hear the buzzer and walk immediately in there, telling myself that I have 5 minutes that I will devote to laundry now and I can finish the rest when I have more time. You know what happens? I ALWAYS finish it. Because I get to the 5 minute mark and realize I’m almost done and I can either just finish now since I’m already doing it, or I will have to finish later and there will also be MORE with that load. 

The same thing applies to dishes, cleaning the kitchen, and even work tasks that feel more daunting.

Put 5 focused minutes on it. You know why this works? Because getting STARTED is the HARDEST part. We let our brains start manipulating us. You just have to START. 

When you’re constantly guessing where to go next, it gets overwhelming. Now, I make a to-do list before I go to bed, sometimes down to the minute if it is a truly crazy day. Having alarms on your phone helps you release the thought so you’re not constantly juggling all the things you need to do.

Stop wearing “busy” like a badge of honor

It’s time to start focusing on what actually moves the needle. Remember, getting started is always the hardest part—so the next time you feel overwhelmed by a task, commit just 5 focused minutes to it and watch your momentum take over.

What’s one task on your plate today that you can tackle with the 5-minute rule? Drop a comment below and let me know—or share your favorite hack for shifting from hectic busyness to true productivity! 

And if you’re ready to truly move the needle with your life, hit us up and explore our coaching.