4 Things I Did to Unbusy Myself in the Last Few Weeks
What can you do to do the same?
Welcome to Simple and Straightforward, a pulblication about living slowly, sustainably and with intention in an increasingly complex modern world.
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At the beginning of this month, I was going to write a story called January is the best time to unbusy yourself. I wanted to piggyback on the fresh start effect many of us feel at the beginning of a new year.
But I was ill with the flu so writing went waaaay down my priority list.
We’re 24 days into this new year and if research is to be believed, two-thirds of us have already abandoned our New-Year-New-You resolutions. For those of you who aim for a simpler life, those resolutions may have included doing less. Less Zoom, more Zen. Less stress, more serene.
You get the idea.
If you’re waning on your well-intentioned quiet-life resolutions — or indeed want to start unbusying yourself now (who says good intentions are only for January 1st?) — here are some ways I’ve fought to do less in the last few weeks.
Let’s call it a bit of Tuesday inspiration.
I tried the 3-item to-do list
It’s as simple as it sounds - reduce today’s to-do list to the three most important tasks.
It’s a lesson in prioritization. Although writing every possible task down feels productive, it actually contributes to the illusion of choice. The more choices you have at your fingertips (such as 15 different tasks on that list) the more likely you are to not do anything at all.
This is what my to-do list looks like today:
Write a Medium article (done)
Write this Substack essay (in the middle of it)
Pay tax bill (will do after writing this).
I will probably do more stuff. I will probably make a reel for Instagram and maybe I’ll start on some work for a client. But I will only do that once those three items are checked off. They come first.
I’ve trialed the three-item to-do list throughout January and it’s paying off. Not only does it make me feel more productive - which in turn spurs me on to do other things - it also stops me from over-working.
In other words, it’s a fantastic unbusy yourself tool.
I napped without feeling guilty
Too often I find myself feeling guilty for taking forty winks on the sofa. I could be spending that time so much more productively! What if I don’t sleep tonight? Am I lazy?
Most of us know that napping has some kickass benefits, not least of them more focus and a better mood. But so many of us feel guilty for it, or martyr ourselves by refusing to get some daytime shuteye. Including me.
Since January, I’ve made it a priority to no longer feel guilty about something that is so good for you.
Not only does napping help me to be less busy — taking 30 minutes out of the day slows it right down — it also helps me focus, thus be more productive, thus I take less time over work and chores.
Thus, I have more time on my hands.
Remind me what is to feel guilty about again?
I prioritized exercise over working overtime
Here in Albania, it has rained for a week solid. I was planning on getting some extra work done this weekend when I woke up on Sunday and the sun was shining. Instead of sitting down to my laptop, I grabbed my boots, a sandwich, and my husband and hiked up into the hills above Tirana.
I could have stayed at home and worked - I would have made some extra cash if I had. But I prioritized a slow meander up a hill because in my experience if you want to unbusy yourself, you’ve gotta exercise.
It’s clearing the mind that does it. I came down that hill both energized and with clarity and focus - both fine qualities for an unbusy life.
I said no to extra work
Although most of my work - both here on Substack and at medium.com - is self-directed, I do have a few highly curated clients that I write content for. Just before Christmas a potential new client asked if I had time to write a few articles for them.
Despite the money, I said no.
As a freelancer, I have to fiercely protect my time otherwise I could easily work every hour of every day. There’s always another article to write, another social media platform to post on, another client to find.
Saying no to extra work might seem cuckoo, and yes I am in the privileged position to be able to do so. But if I had taken on that client, my self-directed work would have suffered. I would have had less time to dedicate to the excellent clients I already work for. I would have stressed myself out.
Sometimes saying no to more work is the best way to smash out the work you already have. If you don’t work for yourself, saying no is not always an easy thing to say to a demanding boss, but it is possible. And could make you better at your job.
So. What can you to do unbusy yourself today?
If not today, tomorrow, or Thursday, or this weekend?
Although there are fundamental tasks you can do in order to be less busy (declutter your home, outsource your chores when you can etc) there are little things too, like my commitment to napping or a jog around the block.
Let me know - I’d love to add to my growing list of unbusy tasks.