I’m too busy to . . .
Oh, have I said those words too often in the past! I am too busy to mediate, exercise, take a break for lunch, or spend time thinking about that project. I am too busy to . . .I was too busy to stop and reflect, take time away from the urgent request at hand, or simply to not look up.
- Taking a break to clear your head can help bring new perspectives.
- Picking your head up from a project can generate new ideas to implement.
- Meditation can clear away the stress and anxiety that would have led to better decision-making in the moment.
- Taking a walk around the block can generate different approaches to solving a challenge.
- By staying the stress anxiety of the moment, made me tired, feel burnout, and didn’t necessarily deliver the best results.
We get so busy doing. We double-down on the actions we are taking to solve the challenge. But adding more action to the situation isn’t what was needed. Clear thoughts, calm feelings, open minds, fresh perspectives are what is needed in those moments to succeed. Not only does it lead to better results, but it leads to feeling more energized and engaged.
What do I need most right now so that I don’t feel this way?
I see this in my clients as well. In the past, I have had clients say “I almost rescheduled. I am too busy for coaching today.” What happened in those sessions is what they needed most. They slowed down. The took some breaths. They talked it out, saw new perspectives, came out of coaching with a sense of calm and purpose, and with new ideas or how best to focus.
Now, in those moments when I say or think, “I’m too busy to . . . “ I try to catch myself and pause. In that pause, I ask myself, what do I most need right now? 100% of the time the answer is to create a break, sometimes short, sometimes longer, away from whatever I am focus.
