I came across this article recently via here and found it quite interesting. It’s from the Wall Street Journal and it talks about how Americans are probably less busy as we think we are. I know that most days I tend to feel like there isn’t anywhere close to enough hours in the day to get everything done that I hope to. I tend to race from one thing to another and am constantly distracted by the next thing and trying to multi-task to make it all happen.
One thing that struck me when reading is when the author points out that “claiming to be busy relieves us of the burden of choice.” But if we change our language and try saying that we are choosing not to do something instead of saying we are too busy, we may find we have more time than we think. I can’t imagine ever saying to my family, “I’m sorry but I am choosing not to play with you right now. Mommy is updating her Pinterest boards,” but that may in fact be the case when we tell our little ones “just a minute...I’m busy” and then get back to them 20 minutes later. Or when I say that my relationship with God is a priority, but then I can’t seem to find the time for spiritual disciplines.
The article also talks about how we tend to over/under estimate how long a task actually takes. I know when I am focused on one thing at a time, I tend to get more done. I realize then that unloading the dishwasher actually takes six minutes, not 15.
For me, it comes down to trying to be more intentional. If I want to check email “quick,” then I need to give myself 10 minutes to do that and then move on. If not, 10 can quickly turn into 30. And if I say a picked-up and clean house is a priority, then I need to recognize that I can’t get that done in 15 minutes a day. It seems to be more about choice that the actual hours in a day. Time is a precious commodity and deciding what to spend it on, and then carving out a realistic amount of it during the day to make that thing happen may turn our “too busy” into enough.
How do you prioritize what to spend your time on? If you had an extra hour in your day, how would you spend it?
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