Busyness – it’s a word that I have learned to dislike greatly.
At some jobs I have had, I could be busy without accomplishing anything at all.
In my own business, I used to be busy doing things which did not produce any income.
In our culture, we mercilessly add events to our schedule until we are completely exhausted and burned out.
While there are activities that are necessary and beneficial in our lives, let’s take a look at our schedules and commitments to see if all we are doing is really necessary (more on that later on in this article).
Although this is not a complete list of signs that you are busy, it’s a start. Some of these signs may point to a lack of planning or organization, but not all of them.
And, yes, I have been guilty of all of these at one time or another.
1. You are so busy that you do not have time to cook healthy meals for your family.
If you do not have time to care for your family’s health by cooking them healthy meals, you are too busy. It’s time to re-evaluate your commitments, especially those outside the home.
If your to-go meal is something from the frozen aisle in the grocery store, take out, fast food, or something similar, it is time to stop and take things out of your schedule.
Taking care of your family’s health by cooking them nutritional meals can avoid many health issues down the road.
While one person in the family (usually the wife/mother) is usually responsible for the meal planning/cooking, other family members can certainly help out–and should help out once they reach a certain age/level of ability.
2. If you and your family cannot eat at least one meal together per day, you are most likely overly busy.
While there may be a time that a family member works an opposite shift of everyone else, it is still vital to eat meals together as a family. Family time matters greatly, and eating together is a time of bonding for a family.
Cooking together is amazing as well (add clean up, and you have a loving family working together). While culinary school may be in a child’s future, every child can learn to do age-appropriate tasks in the kitchen.
None of the above can be done if one family member in is location A while another is in location B, and yet a third is in location C.
Go here to read more about the benefits of eating at home.
When I lived at home as a young person, I was usually the salad maker. Then I became the baker too.
3. You are always in a rush.
While modern life is not as slowly-paced as life was 70 or 100 years ago, it’s essential to slow down.
Being in a hurry all the time stresses a person out. If you cannot leave the house five minutes early to avoid rushing and/or being late, you are too busy.
When I am in a rush, I am usually hurting myself or breaking something–or both.
Instead of being in a rush all the time, we should have breaks to read, write a letter, learn a new skill, or pursue a relaxing hobby.
4. If you do not have a day off every week, you are too busy.
In our productivity-driven society, doing more work is sometimes applauded by people. However, isn’t there something off if the only time we are “recognized” is when we are overdoing it by staying at work late or working on a day off?
One week a day we should be resting and attending church. That’s it. There should be no errands and even minimal work in the kitchen.
Resting is not being lazy. It’s the best way to prepare for a full week ahead.
Furthermore, God commands rest and set an example for us to rest.
Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Exodus 20
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Go here to read more about a day of rest.
5. If you are ill often, you may be too busy.
I am a firm believer in exercising, eating healthy, taking quality supplements, getting fresh air, and all the good things. However, none of them replace rest. If you are not resting enough and you are always stressed out and on the go, your body will eventually demand rest, usually via illness.
It is easier to take a day of rest rather than to be forced to rest via illness, which is never pleasant.
6. If you are always agreeing to everything asked of you, you are mostly likely too busy.
Some people delight in giving others work. However, one thing I have learned is that it’s my job not to be a victim but to politely decline when I am unable to do what is asked.
For people pleasers, this can be a daunting task. Therefore, what I have learned to do is to thank people for asking me. If they asked, they probably thought I could do a decent job at this task. Next, I tell them that I will get back to them. This action takes pressure off me.
Before saying yes, pray about it and ask questions to know exactly what this request is.
For example, if you are asked to cook a meal for a family, you may think “Of course! I’ll just make extra whatever I am cooking that night, and it will all be fine.” However, you need to think how far you will need to drive that meal and what time of day you will be driving. Will you be driving in rush hour? Can this meal be picked up from your home instead of your needing to deliver it?
Furthermore, will you be expected to serve the meal, wash the dishes afterward, and clean for an hour? In other words, will this “cooking a meal” turn into a half-day event and take your away from vital tasks of your own?
While this sounds silly, it may not be so silly if you have experienced a situation similar to it.
7. If you do not have time to read the Bible and pray, you are too busy.
I understand that mothers with small children need to be creative in when they read the Bible and pray. However, for the rest of us, having a day time set aside for communion with God is
Because most people won’t ask you if you read your Bible or prayed that day, it can be a task brushed aside, and yet there can be nothing more important in a day than seeking guidance and wisdom from God’s Word and praying for our friends and loved ones.
Job 23:12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
8. If you are overly busy, your homemaking tasks may not be completed.
One thing I have learned the hard way is that being gone from the home makes it difficult to keep up on dusting, vacuuming, mopping, tidying, and the like.
If you work outside the home, have an appointment with yourself to clean and beautify your home two or three evenings a week, and treat it like a dentist or hair appointment–one that you wouldn’t just cancel if someone else asked you to do something else.
What helps? Do all your errands one (maximum two) days of the week. Don’t be afraid to ask kindly another family member to do an errand once in a while. Do clean every day instead of leaving all the cleaning for Friday or Saturday.
If you would like more homemaking inspiration, you can read it here, here, here, and here.
9. You fall into bed every night and fall asleep in less than five minutes.
If you are so busy that you are unable to wind down before bed every night, you will probably not sleep well that night. Our bodies need to wind down an hour before we fall asleep. This task can be accomplished through reading a book, writing a letter, or taking a warm bath.
On the other hand, you may be so stressed about the next day and all that needs to be done that you have a hard time falling asleep.
What do you do if you find yourself too busy?
First, pray. You need wisdom from God. When people that are using to hearing yes from you hear no, they may be surprised. That is ok; you are responsible for your physical and mental health.
Second, take a look at your schedule. If it looks packed, start by removing one thing that if it were canceled, you would breathe a sigh of relief.
Third, for the future, schedule in days of rest. This can look like staying at home all day with the phone on “silent,” going camping for two weeks in the summer, taking a personal day after a busy week or day.
Fourth, before you commit to things, ask if this activity will matter in five years. Helping an elderly family member will matter in five years. Attending a sporting event probably will not. Working yourself to the bone will not.
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