Are You Addicted to Being Busy? Here are 5 Tell-Tale Signs You Are

“It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?” – Henry David Thoreau

In today’s go-go-go world, a lot of us confuse being busy with being productive. We think if we’re not continuously hustling, then we won’t be able to reach our goals, or worse—someone will beat us to them.

But, incessant busyness isn’t synonymous with productivity. In fact, oftentimes, being too busy is a hindrance to productivity because when you’re always on the go, you don’t stop to be present, or assess where you are versus where you truly want to be. Instead, you end up on the hamster wheel – constantly chasing the never-present future. And for what?

If this resonates with you, then you might be addicted to being busy. Here are 5 tell-tale signs you’re addicted to being busy:

1.) You can’t sit and relax.

Downtime? What’s that? You wonder.

You’re so busy being busy that the idea of relaxing terrifies you because you’re worried you’ll miss out on something if you slow down. But here the thing—you can’t always be on the go if you are you’ll wear yourself out end up being less productive in the process.

Instead of itching to always do more, make daily meditation a habit. Meditation will help you relax your mind and body so you aren’t wearing yourself out. What’s more—when used consistently, you’ll also develop a higher sense of purpose and clarity in your life.

2.) You constantly check the time. 

You’re always concerned about the time, and as a result, you obsessively check your phone, watch, or clock. You feel like there’s not enough time in the day to do all of the things you’d like to do. This creates unneeded stress in your life and brings a sense of frazzled urgency to each task.

To combat this, set an alarm each time you do a task. Not only will this help you to become more aware of how much time it takes to get each thing done, but it will also alleviate the need for you to always check the clock.

3.) You feel imbalanced.

At any given time, you have so many things on your plate that you often feel overwhelmed. Rather than starting one thing and waiting until it’s finished to begin something else, you keep adding on to your never-ending to-do list. As a result, you feel imbalanced and mentally cluttered.

To mitigate the imbalance in your life, only take on one task at a time. Once you finish one task, then you can move onto the next. This will allow you to work through your to-do list in a productive and efficient manner.

4.) Your attention is fractured.

At any given time you have so many things going on that you’re never 100% invested into one project or task. As a result, you experience a fractured attention span where you often feel like you’re always dropping the ball.

To harness more focus in your life, start with the most important task or project first, and work your way backward.

5.) You’re constantly stressed out. 

Stress seems to follow you wherever you go, even if you’re not doing something stressful. As a result, you give off anxious energy and those around you feel rushed and even uncomfortable.

To release some of the stress in your life, start by figuring out what exactly is stressing you out, and if you can eliminate the thing that stresses you out.

If these 5 signs describe you then it’s safe to say you’re addicted to being busy, and like any bad habit, awareness is the first step toward transformation. The next time you feel the urgency to constantly be on the go, first stop and ask yourself: “Is this task honoring my personal growth and journey?” If the answer is no, don’t do it.

Xx,

Antasha

About Antasha Durbin: Antasha is a spiritual writer, life-long student of the universe, and psychic tarot card reader. Her website, cajspirituality.com, is dedicated to simplifying the spiritual experience and making it attainable for everyone. Follow her for free, easy-to-digest and highly actionable advice on spirituality, mindfulness and empowered living.