I was in the drive-thru line at McDonald’s one day when a driver pulled up behind me and honked his horn. I thought it was someone who knew me and was trying to “speak” to me. I looked in my rear-view mirror to see who it was so I could at least wave to the driver. Not only did I not know the driver, but his honk was not a friendly greeting. He was impatient and thought I should move forward. There were two problems. First, the driver had just gotten in the line and there were others who were waiting to be served. Second, there were two vehicles ahead of me! I am not sure what my impatient friend behind me expected. Even if I had a bat-mobile and could fly over the cars ahead of me, the driver behind me would still have to wait for the two cars ahead of him!
We live in a time when things are constantly changing, and people are always moving. There is this notion that everything ought to be done quick, fast, and in a hurry. But if you are always rushing or staying busy, you might be sacrificing the productivity and peace that you deserve. I have lived too many years being constantly busy, so I know firsthand the illness of busyness. Here are some of what I have learned about the illness of busyness.
1. Busier is not necessarily better. Pace yourself and choose what’s most important to do.
2. Someone’s urgency should not always constitute your emergency. Priorities may differ from person to person. What’s urgent to you may not be urgent to me. And urgency can be subjective. Don’t get sucked into the unnecessary “urgency” of others.
3. Multitasking is overrated and underexplained. It takes time, energy, and focus to get things done. And depending on the intricacy of your task, you will need to pay attention to details and avoid distractions. You are better off finishing one thing before moving on to the next.
4. When you rush, you crush. If you put off one thing to do another thing, or take on too many things at one time, you end up rushing to finish what’s most urgent. In your rush to complete something that’s urgent, you crush your ability to be creative and thorough. And you end up sacrificing quality.
5. The Jack-of-all-trades usually masters no trade. A little bit here and a little bit there. Working on this and working on that. Sounds familiar to you? If it does, then you might be a Jack-or-Jill-of-all-trades who masters no trade. It is better to be a specialist in one thing, than to be a generalist in so many things.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2). Don’t conform to the culture of busyness. Transform the culture and cure the illness of busyness.
Wisdom for Your Week
Busier is not necessarily better.
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