Are you too busy?

I was messing around with some old papers this morning, trying to organize my bedroom bookcase. You can see I became bored and wandered into the office. :)
I came across some notes about being busy. I can't remember who I was listening to. Could have been Dr. Randy or Joyce, or some other person I follow.
Anyway, I found a list of things I wanted to make more time for...family, of course, exercising, yeah, whatever, organizing (snicker), friends, Bible studies, and free, empty time. So, I accomplished a few and will keep working on the others.
What I heard from the speaker was a list of reasons we "stay busy". Here they are:

1. Missed opportunities in childhood
2. peer pressure
3. running from the past or feeling guilty
4. hoping to achieve the ultimate goal
5. fighting off feelings of inadequacy
6. we feel the need to fill empty time with something.

okay, so why is it so hard to slow down? Here's what they said:
1. We believe the LIES!
2. Technology is changing at a faster pace and we feel we have to keep up
3. We are bombarded with choices and information.

I'm sure there were more, but those were the ones that stuck. It brought to my mind the many times I've joked about having "ADD". It always got a laugh and not many people were using that term, but now everyone says it. It makes me realize that although maybe there is such a thing as Adult attention deficit disorder, what I really think is that we are just trying to do too much!! Our thoughts are consumed with this, that, the other thing, and more. Then we wonder why we're tired, irritable, unproductive, and behind on everything. How can we possibly hear God when our minds are cluttered and our schedules are bulging. I can't function that way! I refuse to be part of the rat race.

The few last notes on my page were this:

Don't push your kids when there is nowhere you have to be or no reason to hurry. What you instill in them is to TAKE YOUR TIME. This could frustrate a lot of impatient people. Just give your kids more time to get ready, and remind yourself not to rush.

Sort out your motives for staying busy. What drives you? As soon as you realize that, you can slow down.

And of course, a saying I've heard before...." The trouble with the rat race, as they say, is that even if you win, you're still a rat."

Some of my own methods for clearing out my alleged ADD mind have been the following:

1. Don't use my cell phone. It's for emergencies, and for the three people who need to reach me most often. Hubby, parents, and the school. Not only that, it costs me money when I get a call.
2. Do not text. It not only costs money, I don't enjoy it. I would rather hear a voice.
3. Do not pay for call waiting. If it's that important, they will call me back. It's annoying anyway.
4. The phone may ring, but that doesn't mean I have to answer it when it does. I am not a slave to the phone. If I am going to work out, I will not answer the phone!
5. Consciously do one thing at a time. Set the timer and clean the bookcase for 15 minutes before moving on. The world won't end if I don't get it done today. There's always tomorrow.
6. Say no to the things that won't yield fruit to you or to others. The world will not end if you say no. Believe it or not, people are replaceable and it's okay to be replaced.

We can say we're goal-driven, task oriented, a "get it doner", whatever you want to call it, and that's fine. BUT, you can get just as much accomplished by staying at peace, remaining patient, and doing one thing at a time. God never intended for us to string ourselves out this way because he doesn't want a bunch of tired, worn-out, grouchy servants.

Take a little time to enjoy doing nothing and see what happens. Learn to relax, slow down, and breathe deep now and then. Life will be busy and stressful, but that doesn't mean we have to match our moods to what goes on around us.
Now, I have to get back to that bookcase!