6 Signs You’re Too Busy

Many of us know that we’re living at an unsustainable pace, and thinking there has to be a better way. But whether we are too Busy can seem like an unhelpful question when we feel like we lack control over our commitments and the pace of life.  Perhaps we should just buck up, bunker down and get on with it.

The good news is that I believe we can live lives that feel less Busy, but the first step is awareness. So, let me share 6 signs that show up when you are too Busy.

1. Your giving gets ‘gritty’

When we are giving out of a cup that is overflowing, people know it and they feel it. And when our giving comes from the dregs at the bottom of the cup, unfortunately, people feel that too.  We may be going through the motions of caring for or serving others but our weariness and worse, our resentment, ‘leaks’ out through things like our demeanour and how present and available we are. 

2. There is no room for grace

When we are too Busy, there is little room for compassion and patience with others.

A tightly packed schedule means that we need those around us (often, our partner and children) to do just what we need them to do, and when we need them to do it. We have no time in our schedule for things to be lost or forgotten, mistakes to be made, or for others around us to simply be human and have needs that we didn’t anticipate.

When this is going on for me, I feel like ‘Military Mum’, when who I really want to be is compassionate, soft and kind.

3. There’s no variety in your speeds

We live in a world of seasons, cycles and rhythms. Day and night, summer and winter. We can tell that we are too Busy when can’t see this same varied pace and rhythms in our lives.

Often we are scheduled as if we are robots (or, worse, endurance athletes!) moving from one activity to another, failing to reflect that we are part of God’s good creation and built for rhythms and rest.

If there is no fast and slow, no light and shade, no winding up and winding down, no rhythms of activity and rest, then we are likely trying to fit too much in.

4. You experience physical dis-ease

As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned that our bodies often know things before our heads do. This is an inconvenient truth for many of us who take our bodies for granted.

While medical issues should never be ignored, I have found that many nagging things like tight shoulders, constant tiredness or headaches are signs that my life is out of balance. The tension created by a too Busy schedule is carried in our bodies, and often our subconscious gets our attention through how our bodies feel.

5. Your emotions are fragile

When we are too Busy, our emotions are often overwhelming or volatile. The ‘Last Straw Syndrome’ shows up when a relatively small things triggers a flood of emotion, or grows into a big hairy deal.

If we are able to step back, or even look with hindsight, we can see that we are living on an emotional knife’s edge. Equally, when a kind word triggers a flood of tears, we know that we are carrying too much. We may not be Busy in the packed schedule sense, but we are bearing a weight that is too much for us.

6. Your brain ‘stalls’ or can’t take in new information

Many of us know the experience of heading to our car and having absolutely no idea where we parked, or going to introduce someone we know well and having no idea what their name is. 

I don’t know if you’ve had this experience, but another sign for me that I’m too busy is when my brain can’t take in any new information. Even reading the instructions for a new appliance can seem like too much. At those times I fear that if I make room in my brain for any new information I just might forget where I live!

What about you?

Take time to reflect on how you are experiencing life. Do you relate to any of these signs? When are you most likely to experience them? Work on growing your awareness.