Why Do We Feel So Busy?
Hello friends!
Happy Wednesday, I hope all of you are doing well! Thanks for visiting again and if you are new, welcome to the conversation.
I was recently able to travel home for a quick weekend and enjoyed seeing many familiar faces. We had a great time laughing, ate uncomfortable amounts of food, and attempted to dance to all the karaoke singers who “crushed”. We had several conversations together throughout the weekend, and it’s crazy to see how much my friends’ kids have grown!
On a visit out to the farm a good buddy and I got to talking about time. Not that it was 11:41am on a Saturday, or wondering when those cheddarwurst brats I was eyeing were going to be ready to demolish (a little crunch is just right, cheese slightly oozing out of the side, some raw onions, a bit of ketchup and mustard, and a slightly toasted bun with the grill marks on each side).
Whoa.
No my friends, we were talking about how fast time seems to go. Time flies. Did anyone else’s classroom keep track of the 100th day of school in elementary? Why did it feel like that took two and half years? These days 100 seems like a week of work and a Saturday running around the Empire Mall.
As we all grow older time seems to move quicker because we naturally feel more busy. We may be juggling around class and studying, raising a handful of kids, or working 60+ hours a week. We might say yes to four different events over the weekend and still try to find a gap to cook some food and catch up on our favorite shows. Next thing you know it’s Monday morning and the same week lies ahead. Then it’s Tuesday. Then it’s October. Then it’s 2021.
As we were talking about books, parenting, and school my friend said something that really stuck out to me: “We’re never as busy as we think we are”.
You’re crazy, what do you mean? We were just talking about both of our summers, raising your daughters, having things to do every night of the week, working Saturdays, and how it feels like just yesterday we were lounging around Dayton Hall trying to figure out what time I was going to get a nap in tomorrow.
What he meant was we’re not as busy as we think because our time, the decisions we make, or how we can feel overwhelmed is about priorities. How many of us have said “I’m too busy” or “I’m sorry, I’ve just been so busy lately”. If you were prioritizing your time accordingly then kudos to you! As we get older we organize our time, we focus on what’s more important to us, and we choose the more meaningful connections and experiences. If being “busy” is focusing on developing ourselves, raising kids and spending time with loved ones, and working hard to take that much needed vacation next month then don’t sweat it! You’re not too busy, you’re simply prioritizing your time. The time we spend doing activities that we love and are invested in, then the more we are focused. The more we are engaged. The more we are present.
To me that’s the key: we need to continue to become more aware of the present moment and make sure to enjoy it, myself included. As I've mentioned before I went through a period of time where that wasn’t the case at all. There were times where I’d be overrun with regret, hovering in the past and letting it define how I was showing up daily. Has anyone else gone through phases like this? I missed out on some important periods in my life because I wasn’t fully engaged and aware that I wasn’t getting those moments back. We don’t get memories or events or experiences or relationships back. We live in and create them each day, and that itself makes our decisions and actions we take that much more important.
If we are present and engaged in spending time doing the things we love, the things that are important to us, then I wouldn’t say we are too busy. I would say we are utilizing our time. I would say we are enjoying. I would say we are living.
This can apply to various facets of our lives. Focus on how you spend your time and it may not seem to rush by so quickly. Focus on hobbies and work that you are passionate about. Focus on squeezing everything you can out of today instead of staying upset about how bad yesterday was. If you spend too much time dwelling on the past or looking towards the future, you forget about today. You forget about right now. That seems exhausting to me and most of all, it feels too busy.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic! Do we feel like this too often? What are ways you have utilized your time more efficiently? How did that make you feel and in what areas did that help?
Shoot me a note and let me know what you think at theitsjustjakeblog@gmail.com. Your stories have been fascinating, moving, and hilarious! I love how you touch on topics in a different way, explore the meanings behind events in your lives, and share your favorite Dad jokes (and who makes you laugh). It’s YOUR feedback, messages, experiences, and stories that drive and inspire these conversations. Just like this one here. KEEP GOING.
You Rock
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