100 Cups of Coffee: The Road to Busyness is Paved With Good Intentions

Busyness is the enemy of intimacy. The word “busy” fills me with irritation and guilt all at the same time. I hate being told I am too busy. The truth is…I am…and I have been for a long time.

I read recently that the average age of a gamer is 32. (I actually think I threw up in my mouth while reading this.) The author goes on to say that “instead of raising families or creating culture, we are sitting in our living rooms with our eyes glued to the television, simulating life. We are escapists, cowards, and thieves…(don’t miss this!) We are avoiding the truth that screams at us from the stillness: ‘There is more. You are more than this.’ So we anesthetize the truth with busyness.” Wrecked (pg. 46)

Most of us are not avid gamers...we actually fill our time with wonderful things like family, service, church, and friendship. Yet even those things have us continually spinning on a hamster wheel of life and not truly living...still asking the question, "is there more?"

Recently Chris and I have been cleaning house. Literally and figuratively to get some of the clutter and busyness out of our lives. Here is what we are finding...

Busyness does not equal importance or position. Busyness I am finding, equals DISTRACTION. A full schedule is not all bad. Busyness is. There is a fine line that I have walked all of my life between full days which have brought life to the full…and busy days that have sucked the life right out of me. Busyness sucks your full life away.

The next few weeks of blogs should really be a treat as I share my journey and also some of the wonderful resources that have encouraged and inspired us in living more simply. Today, I wanted to actually give you TO DON'T LISTS to make. Instead of listing all of the things you are doing, have to do, or are responsible for in this life…why don’t you try making these lists instead???

1. A STOP DOING List:

I shared my own story in Simply Insane . I made a painful choice to stop doing something. This choice altered our entire family structure...and I would not trade the freedom I feel for anything in the world. What could you stop now that would free up more time for the things that you value and the relationships that you cherish?

2. A LIMIT List:

This could be things that you enjoy but are actually stealing precious time away from more important things in life. They are things that are not necessarily harmful but also aren’t crucial to your well-being. Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial…so LIMIT those things.

3. Get Rid Of or Give Away List:

Consider this some of the tangible clutter that is filling your home or heart. I have several wonderful resources on this subject. There is a whole corner of the world right now that has a niche in minimalism. Minimalists want folks to take a hard look at what they have and why they have it. 321-Stop is a great first read if you are considering getting rid of clutter. It has some compelling reasons WHY to do this as well. She also very shortly will be releasing her complimentary handbook which is : Simple Living--30 days to less stuff and more life. This too is an awesome read (I got a sneak peak this week) and it is a super helpful tool to navigate and downsize different areas of your life!

Begin to make your lists today. They do not have to be long. The sooner we begin to embrace that less actually IS more, the sooner we will find freedom from our schedules, ourselves, and our stuff!