A little twist on the Bachman Turner Overdrive hit "Takin' Care of Business" with the hopes that this article will help you begin to "take care of your busyness". 

 
If you are like me, the first half of the summer has flown by. I was busier in July than I have been all year.  Some of it was self-imposed, some of it just seemed to be a symptom of the rhythm of endless commitments in which I immersed myself. 

 

Many of us have gotten so used to being in a constant state of "doing" that we have forgotten there is any other way.  We have forgotten what just "being" feels like.  Neale Donald Walsch, author of Conversations with God, reminds us that "we are human beings, not human doings."

 

I was talking to one of my favourite clients, Joan, and she excitedly told me that she had taken that day to be completely free of work, appointments, and email.  She had futzed around the house, picked up a book she hadn't looked at in months, did a bit of gardening, and generally just let herself "be" and go with the flow and lived in the moment. Wistfully, Joan related how that had been the first day she had allowed herself to just "be" ..in, well, she actually couldn't remember the last time. "How did it feel?", I asked her.  "Fabulous", she said with a sigh and a satisfied smile.  
  
Since "being" is our natural state and the state that will open us up for the most joy, peace and happiness, we want to make sure that we allow ourselves to access that "being" state on a regular basis. Coach Michael Neill (www.geniuscatalyst.com) referred to himself in a recent article as being a "busyholic". When did you last allow yourself to just "be"? Have you too become a "busyholic"?  

 

"Takin' care of Busyness"- A Three Step program 

 

1/ Awareness:  Do you remember a time when were you not going from item to item on your "to do" list? Think back to when you felt like you were just being in the moment - maybe you were gardening, or singing out loud with your favourite song on the radio, or walking in the woods, or maybe you were just sitting and gazing out the window..remember how that moment felt.

At the end of each day, sit down and take stock of your day - were you "doing" or "being"?

 

2/ Shift your Thinking:  Reframe your thinking around your "being"  time. Recognize that to allow yourself "being" time will make you healthier, happier and more productive. There is a reason that people get inspiration, or suddenly think of ideas or solutions to problems when they are in the shower. They let their minds to just "be" and the space that is created allows all sorts of other thoughts to pop in. Your "being" time is as important as your "doing" time.

 

3/ Create: Create your "being" moments. Make your "being" times a priority. If you are able, like my client Joan, create an entire  "Be-Day". And what to DO on your BE-day?   Well, nothing! Or anything! Or everything!  The point is - it is unscheduled, unplanned, with no "to do" list pressures. 

 

Let's all add "being" to the top of our "To Do" lists!