Busy Schedules

February 10, 2009

Although my life is quite serene and simplified now, there are days when it seems I don’t have time even to eat, or to take a break. Particularly now that I have started this blog, there is always something I should be working on, and my to-do list gets longer every day. But it doesn’t stress me out, or interfere with my inner peace, for two reasons: my choices and my perspective.

1. All of my tasks are freely chosen: teaching my son, maintaining my home, writing my blog, planning travel arrangements, etc. There is nothing on my to-do list that I really don’t want to be doing. Even the less enjoyable tasks, like laundry and dishes, directly contribute to my happiness because I feel better when my house is not a pig-sty. So my newly added task has made my schedule a little fuller, but infinitely more rewarding. This brings me to reason number two.

2. The way I view my new task, or any addition to my schedule, is a little different. I’m very particular about what I will agree to add to my “plate.” I have no trouble politely turning things down if I feel they will interfere with my serenity or happiness. Any new task is a chosen activity; I wanted to take on the new responsibility. So I tend to view my projects much like having another child.

When we have a child, we absolutely love him or her like nothing we’ve ever loved before. We make sacrifices, rearrange our schedules and priorities, and try to devote as much of ourselves as possible to our child. We want this child to feel important and valued.

When we have a second or third child we aren’t going to love the first child any less, or devote less of ourselves to each child, just because we have more kids. We will love the first child with 100% of our heart, and the second, and the third, and however many more we have. Each will receive 100% of our love. These percentages don’t make sense mathematically, but the “giving well” will not run dry regardless of how many kids we have.

I have found that the same thing applies if I fill my schedule with activities that I value, and which contribute to my happiness. If I focus my attention on one activity at a time, there’s only one thing I need to think about, which takes away the stress associated with the many things that are still pending. What makes this simple and enjoyable is that I have chosen the tasks I will devote time and energy to.

“What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task.” –Viktor Frankl

What do you think? Is it possible to be busy without being stressed?

Related Posts: My 5 Point Simplicity Outline | Balance and Newton’s First Law

No related posts.

Posted in balance, choices, present moment, simplicity