According to Tiffany:

Is your life really busy?

People who say they are always busy most likely aren't as busy as they think. Perhaps it's because time is more valuable now than it was back then. We are in the "informational era" with smart gadgets and technology that does most of our thinking.

You have so much information to dabble into. It can be overwhelming.

Tiffany says this era's nature makes us all feel busier than we really are.

A danger of always feeling busy is decreased cognitive bandwidth, which deters your decision-making skills. This may cause poor time-management choices. A solution is to slow down. You train your brain to stop listening to yourself. Set boundaries and take it easy. Track what you do in a journal for two weeks. Pick out what isn't important and eliminate it.  

"Busyness isn't defined as the number of tasks we have to do, but rather, it is a state of mind," says Tiffany.

Habits and routines can be leading causes of mental clutter because habits are hard to break. You don't realize how much mental space it takes from you.

A Book in Time's Commentary:

PPS CLIP:

Professionally:  A sense of accomplishment generally results from completing tasks, as it should be. However, there may be a downside to having too many irons in the fire. Some people may be "addicted" to busyness. They may take on added work and obligations voluntarily. "Several studies prove, for example, that working more than 40 hours per week makes you less productive" from americanexpress.com. Success in the workplace should be measured by results rather than the amount of time spent. Employers should focus on the quality of work rather than the quantity of time involved and care for the health and well-being of the employees and their quality of life. Some alterations may be made, such as teleconferences rather than travel, proper delegation of responsibilities, and time-management practices.  The workday should be broken up so you may take a 15-20-minute break to re-energize yourself by walking, stretching, meditating, or socializing to give your mind and body time to relax and refocus, perhaps a few times throughout the workday. If you work from home and have a little more flexibility, take even more opportunities to refresh your mind and rejuvenate your muscles. Ideas and creativity often flow better once you reset your focus. There is no price tag on the value of quality family time. If you are in a position that does not value what is important to you, put some thought into your priorities and consider what may be best for your situation. Everyone has different values and priorities. You should identify your priorities and align your thoughts, actions, career, responses, time management, and well-being with them. It will not happen overnight, but energy flows and results will show where your focus goes.  You may just simply like to be busy. There is nothing wrong with this, either. Just take care of your well-being, keep your mind free from unwarranted clutter, and eliminate unnecessary "noise" so that you may continue to have the drive, passion, and decision-making abilities necessary to live this lifestyle successfully.

Personally:  Downtime is necessary to "self-soothe," re-energize, and re-engage. Being too busy is both physically and spiritually dangerous. It may rob you of the opportunity to participate in activities you enjoy, be fruitful in your responsibilities, the ability to sleep soundly, or even fellowship with people you care about. Life-work balance is an important part of your overall well-being. If this is not maintained, your health may be affected. You may feel disconnected or overwhelmed. Learn and take time to appreciate and care for yourself. Begin plans for your next vacation or "staycation." Perhaps change your mindset, and when asked how you are, rather than saying, "I'm so busy!" instead, say, "I'm great!  I just finished this project and cleared it off my plate!" Or, "I'm doing well! I have a great start on my chores for the day!" Your busyness is a state of mind, and you may become more productive by altering how you think and perceive your situation. Make sure to include leisure time in your daily plans, and practice not multi-tasking while enjoying this self-time. This has been referred to as "contaminated time" and does not allow the full effect of the intended refresh and regroup time. According to scientificamerican.com, "Downtime replenishes the brain's stores of attention and motivation, encourages productivity and creativity, and is essential to both achieve our highest levels of performance and simply form stable memories in everyday life."

Spiritually:  "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" Matthew 11:28 NIV. 

It is sometimes beneficial to deeply analyze what is being processed in our minds.  Mindfulness is observing your thoughts in the moment and grounding yourself without being critical.  It is "the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we're doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what's going on around us" from mindful.org.  Focus your awareness on the present moment.  Practicing mindfulness may reduce stress, promote creativity, enhance performance, and allow for more awareness.  It is a way of living.  Mindfulness may even improve your mood or create optimism.  It may even aid in eliminating pain!  "Mindfulness helps you to detach yourself from the pain.  It helps you find a higher self of yours that never feels pain.  It also reduces the way you react to pain" from spiritualexperience.eu.   "Be mindful.  Be grateful.  Be positive.  Be kind", from Roy T. Bennett.  "Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky.  Conscious breathing is my anchor", from Thich That Hang.  "Looking at the beauty in the world is the first step of purifying the mind," from Amit Ray.

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