Are You Bad or Just Busy?

All of our technological advancements are supposed to give us more time. Instead, we fall for the temptation of trying to pack more tasks into the time we’ve saved.

Last month I was booked to speak in Hawaii. I was able to take Kim and the kids along, and the week before the engagement, we played in the sun and surf of Lanikai Beach. I made a special point – a very concerted effort, indeed – to refrain from checking email, surf the internet, or scan my social media feeds.

Somehow, the world continued to rotate on its 23-degree axis. The sun rose and set on a regular basis, and my business didn’t crumble to the ground.

I heard a saying once that if the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.

Adultitis thrives in all this busyness, which tricks you into feeling like you’re productive. When you feel productive, you think you’re actually getting something accomplished, which fools you into believing that your work is not only obligatory, but indispensable.

But here’s what’s really happening: life is passing you by.

Many of us miss out on the important stuff because we’re convinced that busyness is a standard operating procedure. We’re deceived by the mirage that someday, if we work hard enough, our to-do list will be cleared. Spoiler alert: you will die with things STILL on your to-do list.

This never-ending hamster wheel is the part of adulthood we need to escape from.

Do you really need to work extra to afford that lastest gadget? Will life cease to exist if you don’t check your e-mail three times before breakfast? What’s the worst that’ll happen if you don’t answer your phone while having lunch with a friend? Can you detach yourself from busyness for an hour a day? A day a week? A week every three months?

Here’s the biggie: What will you miss if you don’t?