Busyness forces choice. And choice reveals our true priorities. Have a look, without judgement, at what you consistently choose to prioritise. Is it in line with what you really want and who you truly want to be?
A quick word on busyness. It's a great topic, because — well, are all super busy, right? Life is a veritable whirlwind these days. Which can be a good thing. Can be a bad thing. There is much that has been written on this topic in recent years since we all got so hyper connected.
Here’s the really good thing about being busy. It’s like shining a spotlight on your true priorities. Not what you say your priorities are. What they really are. It’s like shining a spotlight on your goals and plans and wishes and wants. Not what you say they are. What they really are. Where our time goes consistently is a reflection of our true priorities. When that friend or family member says “would have loved to catch up, but life’s been so busy” — that’s not a reflection on how busy their life is — it’s a reflection of how important your spot is in their diary.
When you miss bootcamp for the fourth time in a row, it's a reflection that the thing you are doing instead — working late; looking after the kids; watching Netflix —is more important to you right now than your fitness. When you are too busy to help or to socialise in the lunchroom because you are checking Facebook for the 11th time that day — that's not a judgement — it's just a direct reflection that your virtual relationships are more important than your real life relationships that day.
If you are staying late because you have to get to inbox zero rather than organising date night it’s a reflection that reducing anxiety around work tasks is more important than creating fun and a connection with your partner. When you drag yourself out of bed in the dark to train for that triathalon it’s a reflection that your body and completing that event is more important than a lie in. When you turn down the party to work on your novel it shows your true priority is to be a published author. When you skip Friday wines to take the kids to laser quest your true priorities are laid bare.
The thing about how busy life is these days is that we are confronted with an almost endless conveyor belt of choices for us to make over our time. We are constantly choosing, whether we realise it or not. Every choice adds up to a pattern — when we look at our pattern of choices — that's when our true priorities are revealed. We are what we consistently do, not what we say we want to do or would like to do.
Busyness is not the enemy. It’s an amazing opportunity to assess your true priorities without judgement.
This is not, repeat not, an opportunity for you to beat yourself (and everyone around you) up!
It’s a chance to reflect on the real balance of your time and priorities. It’s an opening of awareness to reflect on your relationships and the respective energy and priority that they are for both you and the other person. Busyness forces choice. And choice reveals our true priorities. Have a look, without judgement, at what you consistently choose to prioritise. Is it in line with what you really want and who you truly want to be?
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Louise Thompson is a life coach, author and corporate escapee. Read Bite articles from Louise or visit louisethompson.com for more.