There are many diseases and illnesses that people are diagnosed with these days. From cancer to arthritis, to just a cold, and everything in between, sickness is part of life. But you know, I think there’s one very common condition that the doctors don’t talk about. The funny thing is, most of us have it and some of us almost view it as a badge of honor. We get together and talk about this condition as though it is normal to have it. What is this condition? It’s usually talked about as “I’m just so busy,” or “When is life going to slow down?” or something of the sort. In this post, we are going to call it: toobusyitis. That’s right! Being too busy can actually be a hindrance in our lives. Now I know that it’s not actually a sickness but lifestyle choices, however, I thought it would be fun to look at it as a diagnosis. Don’t you think so? Let’s discover the 8 warning signs you are too busy and need to prioritize!
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
1. Too Little Time With the Lord
One of the first signs you are too busy is when you skip devotions or cut them too short. I see this in my own life. It’s quite sad that one of the first things to get cut out is actually the thing that I need the most – time with the Lord. Can you relate to this? The enemy knows how much we depend on our time with Jesus, drawing strength from Him. This is why Satan tries to make us busy and bring distractions to keep us from having quality time with the Lord. Keep an eye out for this common “symptom” in your own life.
2. Too Busy for People
Another one of the common signs you are too busy is not spending time being with and doing things for others. We don’t have to give up all of our time to others, and there must be a balance. But, on the other hand, for some of us, it’s all too easy to be so busy with projects that we fail to focus on the relationships with the people the Lord has placed in our lives. We forget that it’s the people who are going to last forever and not the projects that we are so busy working on.
3. No Time for Yourself
Not only can it be a struggle to find time for other people, but sometimes you probably also struggle to find time for yourself. You may feel like you never have a free minute to just sit and relax. Toobusyitis is known to chronically keep you feeling like you have to be doing something. Instead of taking meaningful breaks, you may end up browsing on your phone or doing some other activity, all the while feeling like you should be working. That is not resting. Meaningful rest should be planned and not sneaked. Never feeling free to plan a few minutes for rest and sneaking your breaks are both signs you are too busy.
4. Always Hurrying and Fighting Deadlines
Do you know that fighting fires feeling? It’s a very common symptom of toobusyitis. No, it’s not some warm tingly sensation on your skin or anything like that. It’s the feeling that you always have to be rushing from one task to the next. You are always meeting some deadline just in the nick of time (or maybe a little late and past the nick of time). You can never relax and enjoy the task at hand because you know that if you go slowly, you will never be able to catch up and keep up. So you hurry. And, even with all of your hurrying, getting caught up seems to be always a step or three ahead of you.
5. No Time for Planning and Reflecting
Planners are supposed to help you be scheduled and get things done on time, right? Well, the terrible thing about toobusyitis is that it keeps you from your planner. You are so busy doing that you don’t even have time to plan what to do or to prioritize your plans, definite signs you are too busy. You fall behind in your planner, and that’s it. There’s no time to catch up, so you stop opening your planner, not wanting to look at the empty pages and not having the time to fill in what you missed. Having a plan might actually save you some time, but there’s no time to plan.
6. Not Doing Anything
You may be thinking, “I don’t have toobusyitis. My problem isn’t doing too much. My problem is that I’m lazy and sit around doing too little.” Don’t be too sure, my friend. You see, toobusyitis is sneaky. It manifests itself in different ways. Sometimes it makes you rush around non-stop. But, not always. It can actually affect you the opposite way. It may make you sit and waste time while the to-do lists pile up. Why? It’s simple really. The work is still there, and it has you completely overwhelmed. So overwhelmed that you are paralyzed and do nothing, letting the work pile up and make you more overwhelmed. It’s a vicious, and I mean vicious, circle.
7. Having a Consistently Unfinished To-Do List
Maybe you are still using some sort of planning system or to-do list. You do have the time to plan your day. How is that list looking for you these days? Do you finish most of the things on your list, or is your list usually unfinished? If you are laughing at the idea of actually finishing a to-do list, then I think you may be dealing with a touch or two of toobusyitis. To-do lists are meant for doing, right? So, if you work hard and never can finish your daily to-do lists, then they are just too long. You are probably putting down more things than what you have either time or energy (or both) to complete.
8. Feeling Stressed
This is a big symptom. Of course, there are plenty of other things that can cause stress in your life besides toobusyitis. But, that is a common symptom. If you related to any other points on this diagnosis chart, then you are probably also dealing with some stress from toobusyitis.
What To Do With the Signs You Are Too Busy
Okay, by this point you may be saying, I resonate with these symptoms, and I have too busyitis. Now what? Good question! In fact, it’s such a good question that it needs its own post to answer it. But, I don’t want you to end on a negative note here. In our simple takeaway, let’s look at a few ways to help with the first symptom: not spending time with the Lord.
Simple Takeaway
- Start with time for the Lord – don’t wait until you “have time.” The truth is, we all have time, and the important thing is how we are spending the time that the Lord has given us. There will always be things that can stand in the way of starting the day with the Lord. We need to just do it anyway, in His strength!
- Don’t let limited time and energy hinder you. We are in various seasons. Some may have little children to care for. Others may be chronically ill and unable to spend as much time as they would like in prayer and Bible study. Start right where you are. It’s better to spend what time with the Lord that you are able than to spend none because it can’t be an hour or two.
- Ask the Lord each day to help you be faithful in spending time with Him. Are you having your devotions for the day? Ask Him to help you spend time with Him again tomorrow!
Let’s Chat!
Do you have toobusyitis? Which of these “symptoms” or signs you are too busy do you see in your own life?
Until next time, seek first the Lord and His kingdom and righteousness!
In Christ,
Bethany
Wow, some of this really hit home with me. Toobusyitis is terrible! Thanks for the encouragement to do better ❤
It hits home with me too, Alyssa! It’s a trap far too easy for me to get sucked into. Be on the lookout for a post next week about what to do when you have Toobusyitis!
Yay!! I can’t wait! 🤗
I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Appropriate
Thank you, Peter!
“Meaningful rest should be planned and not sneaked.”
Wow! So true! Thank you for this blogpost, Bethany. It hit home with me as well.
I’m so glad the post resonated with you, Agape! It’s so easy to be sucked into wasting time instead of taking a real break, but it’s so much more profitable to actually rest and come back to your tasks refreshed, isn’t it?!
Yes, it really is. Thank you for the reminder!
You’re welcome!