"It's not enough to be busy... the question is: what are we busy about?"
-- Henry David Thoreau
This week, the topic of busyness has arisen numerous times – my pastor mentioned it in his sermon on Sunday; I received a paper from a colleague addressing how it has impacted business and society; friends and co-workers have also introduced the subject into conversation. Then this morning, my email quote of the day delivered this gem of Thoreau’s. Evidently the universe has something to day on the topic. So, I’m going to throw in my two cents worth.
When I worked in a large corporation, I had a co-worker who was the very picture of busyness. One would see her scurrying from place to place across the large campus – much like the White Rabbit in Wonderland, ever late for that very important date. She complained (with a certain gleam in her eyes) that her workload prevented her from joining the rest of us for lunch. Not only did she burn the proverbial midnight oil working, she actually spent a fair number of nights at work frantically trying to get all of her work accomplished. For quite some time, management pointed to her as a role model of dedication and hard work. However, like another literary icon, eventually the curtain was ripped away revealing not a wizard, but a fraud. She was so busy being busy, it seems that she never quite accomplished anything. When tough times hit, and the company was faced with the need to reduce over head, she was one of the first to be shown the door.
Why is it that in our society being busy a hallmark of importance? As my colleague mentioned, leaders are in part to blame. They see the person working frantically, and they assume that somehow translates to productivity. The boss sees that one employee is always at his desk before anyone else arrives in the morning, and is still there as the others are leaving at the end of the day. The boss interprets this as a measure of dedication and productivity and rewards his diligence accordingly without any concrete evidence that this is anything more than a ploy to be noticed and rewarded.
When I started this blog, I was curious what the dictionary had to say about busyness, so I looked it up on Dictionary.com. Here is how they define it:
1. the quality or condition of being busy.
2. lively but meaningless activity.
Hmmm….that’s food for thought, don’t you think?
Busyness is almost a status symbol in our culture. Have you noticed how many people claim that they are simply too busy to watch TV? It makes you wonder how the television companies stay in business! Friends are too busy to find time to socialize with one another. Families are too busy to sit down and have a meal together. Individuals are too busy to take care of their own physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
I recently mentioned to a colleague that we enjoy early morning hikes – that being in nature rejuvenates the spirit as well as the body. He proudly responded that he didn’t have time in his schedule for such activities…He is far too busy. From my personal experience, I find that my mind is cleared of the cobwebs that accumulate when I’m overly focused on the business at hand, and that I am much more creative when I am on the trail. In fact, some of our best ideas have been generated in this way.
I think, based on my own experience, that sometimes the busy-ness comes from a desire to complete all the tasks without being able to clearly prioritize what's important and communicate that prioritization rationale to the powers that be. Then what happens is days, weeks, years go by being busy and not really living. Being in nature is indeed rejuvenating, as it allows us the space to just "be" rather than "do". I equate it to meditation. The silver lining of this economic downturn is the opportunity to spend more time being with our loved ones, with nature or whatever else gives us renewed energy. Slowing down to smell the roses.
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