20 Things You Should Never Be too Busy for

Person A: “How are you?”
Person B: “I’m so busy.”

Person B: “How’s it going with you?”
Person A: “I just returned from vacation, and I feel great.”

Cult of Busy

Which person are you? What is your go-to response when someone asks you how you’re doing? If you say you’re more like Person B, you’re not alone. That’s what most of us say, almost without even thinking about it. But guess what? It’s not a real answer because we’re all busy. What does “I’m so busy” really mean anyway? I made a vow to stop saying those three words because I don’t want to glorify busyness.

I can almost hear the response,

Person B: “But what if I am so busy?”
Me: “But why though?”

We hang onto our busyness for dear life. It’s as if we fear saying we’re not busy. Somehow that might imply we’re not important.

Let’s commit to leaving the ‘cult of busy’ behind. Like all cults, it’s a deceptive and excessive admiration for something undeserving of your better self. ~ Tonya Harris Cornileus Click To Tweet

Seriously, when we say we’re so busy, did we even answer the person’s question? Are we implying we’re busier than the other person, even unintentionally? Are we using our busyness as a badge of honor?

And the real question is, “How is your busyness working for you?” Being busy doesn’t mean productive. It doesn’t automatically equate to working on things that are aligned to our values and priorities. It just means we’re engaged in a lot of stuff. It begs another question.

So how could Person B respond to the question in a way that validates her time constraints, but is more meaningful to the conversation? She might say something like this: “I’m a little overloaded right now because I have several projects due in the next month, but things will calm down considerably after that” or “I feel productive with the projects I’m working on. How are you?” or “There’s a lot going on right now, but I’m getting through it one step at a time.”

Those responses acknowledge that work or life can be a lot at times without glorifying busyness. Check out this article by Aja Frost on other great responses to “How are you?”

Never Too Busy

The other important reason it’s time to examine our busy schedules is because we could be spending our time on things that don’t matter and are not aligned with our values, priorities, or our future selves.

So, here are 20 things you should never be too busy for:

1. Spending time with family and other loved ones
2. A kind word to someone, even a stranger
3. Sleep (7-9 hours on average per day)
4. Vacation (total separation from work)
5. Laughter and play
6. Time in nature (a trail, beach, mountain, or a walk in the park)
7. Personal and professional development
8. Prayer (for self and others), introspection, and reflection
9. Saying “please” and “thank you”
10. Healthy eating and exercise
11. Supporting a youth’s fundraising effort
12. Saying “I love you” and “I’m sorry”
13. Recognizing and celebrating the achievements of others
14. Helping someone with a task
15. Spreading positivity
16. Setting goals
17. Giving to a charity or cause
18. Date night (with your partner, friends, or with yourself)
19. Discovering what makes life meaningful and purposeful for you, living your purpose
20. Feeling and expressing gratitude for being here, for your Higher Source and for others who support your journey in ways big and small

You see, if we are too busy spending time on things that are not important, or we are over-invested in one area of our lives, we will miss a lot of these vital aspects of living a meaningful, well-balanced life.