Being Busy is an Easy Way

The Challenge of Simplifying Life

I have had a great opportunity to take part in a kind of experiment. I consciously got rid of most tasks from my personal and professional life that I considered not to be fully joyful and purposeful. What I expected was that I would be more focused on things that really matter to me and I could consciously choose what to do (and what not to do).

I stopped checking my phone every 10 minutes, including Facebook, Endomondo, and Twitter. Michal and I decided to strongly simplify the way our company works (including the employment decrease). I stopped starting new books (I used to start many and finish few). I stopped obsessively doing tasks from my TODO list. I stopped doing most stuff that everyone does. I focused on family, my core professional stuff, and running. I have created a lot of space and time to think.

And you know what? It is hard. It is extremely hard. It is not easy to find out what is really worth doing. It is not easy to make decisions with full awareness. It is a big relief when sometimes I forget about my experiment and start doing things compulsively. I don’t have to think! Of course, I am doing much thinking then, but it is about solving a particular problem. I more react to circumstances than I am aware of what I am doing. Like a drug. Doing anything is like a drug. You lose your conscious thinking and start compulsive, reactive thinking (which may require a lot of IQ).

The Temptation of Busyness

Now I think I fully understood (or it would be better to say “I internalized”) that:
Doing anything, being busy is an easy way. Because (what is commonly known) it is extremely hard to do the right things. And it is really much harder to figure out which thing is right rather than do it. What I notice is that we are not taught to think this way and not used to it.

Being busy is a sickness of our times. It is the motto of professional life. Most decisions are made because there are so many things to do and we have to react in some way. But these are not conscious decisions. These are reactive decisions and many times destructive ones.

(Text translated and moved from original old blog automatically by AI. May contain inaccuracies.)