Living with intensity is not the same as being busy. People who have a lot going on their life and have a full, active schedule certainly can also experience everyday intensity. But is it possible that we can also keep ourselves “too busy” as a way to avoid genuine intense experiences?
Sometimes we are “too busy” in our minds, letting our thoughts run frenetically even if our bodies are idle. Other times we create schedules for ourselves that sabotage any chance for meaningful, intense thought, as Alina Tugend suggests in “Too Busy to Notice You’re Too Busy“:
“Of course, it is not just in the work force that people are madly busy. Many people I know, who might be able to enjoy some downtime because their children are in school and they do not have paying jobs, pile errands on top of volunteering on top of working out on top of, well, you name it. When the children get out of school, they race from one activity to another, and if at some point life seems to calm down, then it is time to take on a big construction project, get a dog or have another baby.”
“Step two was to take the power away from the word ‘busy.’ It’s just an adjective, not a noun. It’s an interpretation, an internal label that we can control, not a state of affairs buzzing around us like a swarm of To-Do lists. I started using positive words like ‘full’ or ‘energized’ or ‘active,’ anything to remind myself that I’m involved in a lot of things that bring Joy and meaning to my life.”
Juliusson’s first step was to stop telling people how busy he was. Instead, he discussed details of what he was engaged in—a much more pleasant and energizing conversation starter.
Is being too busy interfering with experiencing or using your intensity? If so, how can you change your schedule, or your thoughts, or both?
