Is being overly busy a form of laziness?
A friend recently dropped this nugget of wisdom on me: “busyness is a form of laziness.”
Hmpf.
If you read this blog regularly, you may have picked up on the themes of overwhelm, stress, and general busyness. I’ve looked at the topic from a number of angles, most recently discussing acting like a human doing instead of a human being.
Busyness is something I continually struggle with. I like to see open space in my calendar or else I feel stressed. I once took a vacation where my entire goal was to see if I could be bored! And so to label me “lazy,” makes me aggravated. A-ha! That means we are onto some new insight…
First I needed to take a look at the judgments I have about laziness. Yes, my default thinking is that lazy = bad. But there is a good side to lazy; for me, it’s called ease. [sigh of contentment]
I know this part of me, and it trusts that it is appropriate to be lazy sometimes: to recharge and just enjoy the simple pleasures of doing nothing in particular – or productive!
Now that my judgments are calm and I can be rational, how can being constantly busy equal being lazy? I love paradoxes, and this is a great one with something to teach me. If I stay busy with work or other obligations, I get to avoid something else. Maybe it’s tackling all the fundamental stuff in my business (like an out-of-date website); or perhaps taking on new challenges that are more personal to me (more yoga and meditation); or maybe I’m worried about being lonely?! Am I busy about the right stuff and in the right amount? Sounds like my priorities need some attention!
How do you feel about the word lazy? Is your busyness a cover for something you don’t want to address? What might you be avoiding? And the next time you scoff at a little nugget of wisdom, pause and see if there is something there for you to explore!
Get busy!
p.s. Your comments are most welcome on this post at https://www.facebook.com/jenfrankcoaching
p.p.s. Happy Halloween!! 