When is Busyness a Bad Thing?

In a world characterized by speed:

Fast foods, fast cars, fast internet, instant gratification…

It is easy to confuse motion and speed with progress. You see people moving in the fast lane of life and making huge strides. But of what use is it to move if you are moving in the wrong direction?

If you are moving (getting busy) without a clear direction, you’re just getting nowhere fast.

My intention is not to promote laziness. However, I wish to emphasize the need for patience when pursuing your goals.

We learn to make moves – to be goal-getters, but it is needful to understand that direction and timing are very important when chasing down your vision.

Without direction, you are likely to get lost en route to fulfilling your goal. Additionally, when you fail to work at the right time, you expend a lot of effort and miss out on great opportunities.

I will give some reasons why getting busy has the opposite effect in helping you achieve your goal.

• Confusion. Busyness can make you lose focus – In a bid to get active and not come off as being idle, you might take on assignments that lead you away from your goal
• Insufficient time to learn – When you’re busy, you might miss the opportunity to learn the skills you need to achieve your vision with the required patience
• Anxiety – Being busy and in an anxious state of mind, you are likely to miss or improperly apply any instructions you receive
• Frustration – Because busyness is a precursor to fatigue and does not always translate to progress, it is easy to get frustrated when you are not meeting up with your goals

So, busyness is not good when you are still waiting for a clear picture of your goal because moving with an unclear vision will obscure your path.

When is being busy Good?

Busyness can only translate to productivity when you have a clear focus and direction on the vision you want to achieve.