I'm busy wasting time.

“I’m so BUSY.” If you know me, you know that this statement is almost always true. Perhaps a little too often. This week alone, I have an event (or two) scheduled every single evening. I do it to myself, and I honestly function better when I’m busy. But lately, I feel like I have no free time to sit down, talk to my mom, do my makeup really nicely for a day, or read a book. And let me tell you… I’m reading Me Before You and would sincerely appreciate lots of extra time to just sit and read. It’s such a good book. While I frequently feel and say that I’m busy, it has recently come to the point of feeling consumed by busyness. And that is not healthy.

I read an article last week (from Verily Magazine of course) about someone giving up the words “I’m busy” for Lent. In the article, she mentions that she realized she had a lot more free time than she realized, but she wasn’t using it wisely. Consequently, I began asking myself some questions: how much time do I waste scrolling through Facebook? How much time do I spend reading articles about tidying up when I could actually be tidying up? How much time do I take reading other blogs when I could be working on my own like I really want to do? It’s a little startling to realize how much time I’ve been wasting. And if I’m being honest, scrolling through Facebook makes it so much easier to feel like my life isn’t as awesome as someone else’s, and reading about tidying up and capsule wardrobes just stresses me out because it makes me feel as though I should be able to adopt those habits. Frankly, a capsule wardrobe isn’t realistic for me. And you know what? That’s okay. (More on these topics later… I’m sensing the need for a post about drowning in comparison on social media.) I may be busy with a lot of activities and multiple jobs, but I’ve also been busy wasting time. And that has to change.

To combat this idea that “I don’t have any time!” I have begun to make a few changes in my habits, and they seem to be helping. So I wanted to share! I am by no means feeling like I’ve completely conquered my busyness, but I’ve noticed a change in my attitude with some new habits and self-reflection.

1. Get off of Facebook (or Twitter, or Instagram, or Pinterest…).

Guys. I really like Facebook. I like to see what people are up to, whose child did something adorable today, what fabulous songs my friends are working on, and great things like that. But if I’m being totally honest, I think I spend close to three hours a day mindlessly scrolling through my newsfeed (and my Twitter feed and my Instagram feed) and reading random things that people post. A lot of you are reading this going, “Oh my gosh. Three hours. That’s pathetic.” But let’s be real here. Add up your own hours… and then call me pathetic. We all do it. But I’ve made a concerted effort in the past week or two to spend far less time on social media and far more time on learning music for my recital, watching training videos for my Premier Jewelry business, reading a great book, and actually devoting scheduled time to prayer. It’s amazing how much more awesome you can be if you stop looking at things that show you how awesome everyone else is (or pretends to be).

2. Make a manageable to-do list every single day.

I’ve learned from several Beachbody coaches (thanks for adding positivity and motivation to the newsfeed I’m trying to look at less!) that making a list of five things you need to accomplish that day will help you actually get things done. These tasks must be concrete things such as: memorize my last song for my recital, email so and so about my upcoming event, or finish two loads of laundry. I say concrete tasks because I used to write down things like: grow in my faith, figure out my performance identity, or clean my room. What do those mean? We must be specific in order to get things done. I bought myself some cute paper to write my lists on every day… and it makes my list look a lot brighter!

3. Ask yourself one question: “Is what I’m doing helping me become the person God is calling me to be?”

For several weeks now, I’ve been doing the daily devotional from Blessed is She (it’s amazing and you should sign up for it). Each email provides the daily readings, a reflection by one of their writers, and a reflection question. One of the questions the other day asked something similar to the question I posed above. As a result, I’ve begun asking myself that question if I feel the slightest inkling that I’m wasting time (and it’s usually when I’m on my darn phone). It has made a big difference. Is going to Jazzercise helping me grow in holiness? Yes. It brings me so much joy, and I adore the community of women I interact with. Is going to a young adult social event through my church helping me grow in holiness? Yes. Community is so important in faith, and those people are incredible people to be surrounded by. Is reading another article about something dumb that Donald Trump said helping me grow in holiness? No. It’s a waste of time and causes me to lose a little more hope for humanity. (Perhaps a tad dramatic but I’m just being honest.) We have to figure out what aspects of our life bring us the most joy and help us become the people we are called to be. The things that FILL our time should bring us fulFILLment. Catchy, right?

​​We’re all busy. The world is busy. And “busy” has become a title we wear with pride because it says to others that we are so important to so many people and organizations that we can’t possibly devote ourselves to one more thing. But take a look at why and how you’re busy. You may be surprised to find that you have far more “free time” than you are aware of. I challenge you to make better use of your time this week and see how God works through the pockets of time that open up in your life.

#challenge #joy #Godswill #holiness