27 jan In a world of too much

Let’s just take a moment, ok? Just a short pause to read this article. Or is your busy schedule telling you “NO, you don’t have time for this”. If that’s the case, I suggest you do pay attention and read further. Because busyness, in my opinion, is just a state of mind and is all about making the right choices.

The world has changed. The problem is, we haven’t.

Today’s world is one of too much. Too much work, too much communication, too much information, too much competition and too much uncertainty. We are striving to keep up, but inevitably we’re falling behind, leaving most of us with a nagging sense of failure that is hard to shake off. Read this sentence carefully: “In a world of too much, we are simultaneously overstimulated and bored, enriched and empty, connected yet isolated and alone.” 

We need to do less, better.

Is it that simple? Well, it sure as hell is easy to get caught up in the busyness of life. Tony Crabbe writes about how we should aim to gain a sense of mastery in our lives. You’re busy because you don’t make the tough choices. According to Tony it takes more courage to do less.

The world has changed, a different response is needed.

Rethink the way you respond to all the information, demands and expectations that are hitting you on a daily basis. Why? Because nobody wants to get caught up in things other than love, right? Tony Crabbe talks about core values and how important it is to live up to them. If you have things-to-do on your daily list that don’t connect closely to your core values, to the central existence of your character, it will eventually suck the energy out of you. The opposite of busy in today’s world is sustained, focused attention. It is deep engagement in activities that really matter to you. Taking the time to think, to amble and to plunge into the moment.

Beating busyness,

Boils down to redefining succes in a way that is more closely connected to your core, to you, your character and what actually thrives you. It’s about focusing on the things that matter. And sometimes it can help you to do a little bith of time travel. “What were the kind of activities that distracted me for hours on end when I was a child?”, was an important question I asked myself in 2016. One of the answers was playing with water and cups. When I think back of those days, I can actually still see myself playing with those cups for hours, while having a special focus on the measuring cup because that cup would allow me to ascertain the amount of water. What I also did for hours on end, was washing dishes. I would do it over and over again just to check the amount of water I was using and how I could be able to implement efficiency. These answers told me that proces, efficiency and result were things that triggered me. And when I think of the jobs I’ve had, those jobs I picked had everything to do with those three focuspoints.

So, if you would ask yourself the same question .. What would you answer be?

Bron: Busy – Tony Crabbe