When was the last time someone told you they were busy? Pretty sure you hear it all the time these days, don’t you? Welcome to the age of chronic busyness. Because apparently, not having a personal life has become the new status symbol. I thought that it was something I was only imagining, but then I found out that it has officially become cool to be busy all the time.
Last year, I wrote an article for Indibeat on this strange phenomenon. An overscheduled life is neither healthy nor fun, but sadly, I don’t see this epidemic dying down anytime soon.
Trendy or not, it’s not for me. Not saying I never did it: I rarely bragged but I did worry about not being perpetually busy just a few years back. However, I quickly realized the value of downtime and today, I protect it fiercely. Everybody needs some free time to recharge their minds and bodies. Do it long enough and both your mental and physical health will suffer. My depression always takes a turn for the worse when I overwork myself for a long period of time. When my mind is exhausted, my body feels exhausted too.
And for those who think busy equals productive, here’s Tim Ferris to bust that myth for them: “Being busy is a form of laziness – lazy thinking and indiscriminate action.”
If you suffer from the ‘always busy humblebrag’, it’s time to fix it now. Your dying self will surely thank you for it.
