The Allure of Busyness (Redeeming Your Time Week 2)
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And in the midst of our extreme busyness, we can forget that being too busy can be a sin too. In the Middle Ages, the sin of sloth had two forms:
We all feel so busy and overwhelmed by our lengthy and never-ending to-do lists. Busyness has become a status symbol as we’re always rushing from one task to another 24/7. As Americans, we’re busier than ever, filling our lives with constant motion and tasks to be accomplished. Even we Christians fall into the trap of over-scheduling, over-doing and over-committing our time and resources.
What can we do to extract ourselves from the allure of busyness? First, recognize the why beyond your need to be busy. Some questions to ask yourself:
By honestly asking these and other questions about why your days are jampacked, you can figure out what’s driving you to be so busy.
Second, conduct a time journal, which is essentially noting how you fill your time in 15- to 30-minute increments. Just like you use a money journal to record your spending, a time journal will show you where you’re spending your time. I’ve done this several times and am always amazed by the things I think take too much time, like unloading the dishwasher, don’t take very long at all, while the things I think take no time at all, like checking email or scrolling through social media, take longer than I realized.
Third, prayerfully consider your busy schedule and if it needs to be as busy as you have it. We should make prayer about our time a regular habit, asking God if our plans meet with his divine approval. Praying about your time will prepare you for our next lesson on how to make the best use of your time.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/GaudiLab
