Slow Down

All too often, we spend most of our time doing the monotonous and what we think we have to do. Of course there are going to be boring things needing to get done, but as a society, we have become really good at giving ourselves busy work. There are many causes for this...our education system, our work, all the technology at our fingertips, fear of boredom, the destruction of imagination, etc.

We feel we have to be multitasking all the time. Go to the kids' soccer games, but do work on our cell phone. Write a paper while listening to the radio or watching TV. Work on seven or eight different things at the same time. Have a conversation while checking e-mail. Not only does this "multitasking" cause us to do less than great work, but it also makes us tired and unhappy.

I know there are going to be a lot of people who disagree with this last statement and that's okay with me. I know the road to happiness is going to be different for everyone, but I also know we all need to slow down a little. Enjoy your child's soccer game. Have an actual conversation with someone without doing anything else. Focus on one task at a time before moving to another. If so many of us are stressed so much of the time, doesn't it make sense to try something else?

This life is short. It may not always feel like it, but it is. We all have tons of things we want to do, but very few of us will ever actually do them. We spend too much time doing the tasks we think we need to do and very little time actually doing what brings joy into our lives. Do the things that you really need to do, but stop giving yourself all the busy work. Focus on one thing at a time and be okay with doing "nothing". Do something that makes you happy and don't give a shit what other people think. Maybe they will actually learn something from you. Would you rather be the person stuck doing the busy work or the person who understands life? What's makes you happy?