Why having more time won’t make us less busy…
In his book “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” , author John Mark Comer points out that it has become so normal for us to rush from task to task constantly that often we don’t even notice that we’re doing it or consider that life could be different. But what is wrong with being busy?
There is a cost to your physical and emotional well being.
“Hurry is not of the devil; hurry is the devil” Carl Jung
Instead of having peaceful time for devotion and nurturing our faith, we’re busy scrolling social media or frantically answering emails. Instead of spending Sundays relaxing with friends or loved ones, we’re running like headless chickens from one obligation to another.
When you’re running late and trying to hurry out the door, chances are you are irritable and snappish. That is definitely not a loving state.
Slowness allows us the time we need to relish our relationships, contemplate our actions, and connect with our spiritual mentors.
Next time you’re sitting around a table laughing with your family, and your phone pings with another “urgent” email, recognize the interruption for what it really is. It is not only taking you away from your gathering but also from your spiritual life. And it can wait for later.
New technologies have altered how we think about time and made us busier;
Before clocks, the only way you could figure out the time was to look at the position of the sun in the sky. Ironically enough, the mechanical clock was invented by monks who wanted a reliable way to call people to prayer at set times.
The invention of the light bulb by Thomas Edison in 1879 allowed people to have homes that were brilliantly illuminated after the sun went down. This had direct consequences for how much people rested and slept.
Before the light bulb was invented, the average American slept for 11 hours a night, now they only sleep for seven. It’s no wonder they’re chronically exhausted!
Instead of travelling by horseback, we can cover a hundred kilometers in an hour behind the wheel of a car.
We can warm our homes just by turning up the thermostat on our smartphones.
A recent study featured in Business Insider reported that the average iPhone user touches their phone no less than 2,617 time per day!
Other than a radical escape to an alternative community living off the grid, there is no going back to a life without artificial light, clocks, or smartphones.
Maybe getting lost once in a while isn’t such a bad thing. After all, wandering aimlessly around can also give us valuable time to think.
We live in a FOMO (fear of missing out) society. We try to do everything, see every movie, hear every podcast, travel to every country. Yet we are human, with built-in limitations that restrict what we’ll be able to do in our lives.
To change our busy, chaotic lives, we don’t need more time. We need to commit the limited time we have to focus on doing the things that we are able to do and are most important to us.
Dwelling on our limitations is not necessarily negative. In fact, being realistic about things which limit what we can do is very empowering. It can take away some of the pressure of trying to do everything and be everywhere. It can push us to make more conscious choices about what we really want to do with our lives, within the limitations we have.
Time isn’t infinite, so we’d better make the most of it.
“Life is a series of choices. Every yes is a thousand nos” John Mark Comer — The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
In the past, moments of quiet contemplation were built into our lives. Waiting in line, staring out a bus window, we had time to hear ourselves think. That kind of solitude (which some may call boredom) has become extinct, as most of us spend these moments checking our smartphone notifications.
We are in need of both silence and solitude to lead emotionally healthy lives. You don’t need to climb a mountain to get some time alone. Simply get up an hour earlier than the rest of your household and enjoy a cup of coffee in your favorite chair. Take out your headphones and leave the podcasts aside. You may soon realize that solitude is anything but lonely. It allows for connection to ourselves and our world.
Take a day off every week to rest. A few decades ago, Americans would wake up on a Sunday to a quiet world. All the stores were closed, as were the businesses. You could spend time with your family and friends. Visit a local park or go to church. Have a snooze on the couch. Cook a meal.
As society has become more commercially oriented, this time for rest has been eroded. We now carry around our offices on our phones, and work has leaked into every corner of our lives. We have forgotten how to rest.
There are so many simple-and free- pleasures available if we just take the time to appreciate them. Savor a cup of coffee in the morning. A bike ride. A chat with an old friend. A trip to the park. Instead of treating your commute as a stressful race, you could see it as time to be with yourself, allowing your thoughts free rein, and processing your day.
Living intentionally and paying attention to what you do can give you lots of time — and even more important, peace of mind.
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