Anybody else too busy and too tired?

...we have a funny relationship with busyness, I'm keen to explore it more.

I’ve had so many interesting conversations about busyness this week. All during a week where I’ve been really busy and quite tired if I’m honest. 
 
We have an interesting tendency at times to fill our schedule as full as there are hours in the day to do so. Sometimes even more so. And then, when something is done and drops out of our schedule we look to what we can fill that gap with next. Another project, more work, more responsibility, more little jobs… rarely do we allow ourselves to accept and embrace the downtime. 
 
For some of us this is because society has taught us that busy is good. The busier we are the better we are, the more ‘productive’ we are the more ‘successful’ we must be.
 
And for some of us, if we stop ‘doing’ we are left with our mind and our emotions. We have to stop and pay attention to what’s happening in the present. And sometimes, the thoughts and feelings we are faced with are too uncomfortable to hear. So we look for distraction, business, something to occupy our mind, and therefore some form of ‘comfort’.
 
This week has been a particularly busy week, and a week where my energy has been pretty low, which is completely normal. Once upon a time I’d have revelled in complaining about how busy I was to anyone who would listen and wearing my busyness as a badge of honour; trying to add more and more onto my to do list while completely ignoring my energy levels; and listening to a brutal inner dialogue that wanted me to do even more. I’d have probably been ill by the end of the week, or worse, packed my weekend full of plans I didn’t want to actually do (or both). 
 
Over the last few years I’ve learnt that it’s safe to do less, to take a break, to stop. I’ve even learnt that it’s productive to take a break, to slow down. I also know that to be the best coach for my clients I need to work with my energy, and not against it. 
 
So, rather than packing my diary full of stuff in between 1:1 sessions and yoga classes I’ve paused. I sat in the sun and enjoyed my lunch; I went for a swim and sat in the sauna for a while; I put my feet up and watched a documentary about a man who had 1000 kids(!); I sat on the step daydreaming for 10 minutes before my next appointment; I moved that bit of writing and planning to next week; and I’ve put ONLY the things that NEED to be done as a priority this week. If I am teaching a yoga class it is so important that I am 100% in the room and have the energy give, if I’m with a client they are getting 100% of my focus. Everything else can wait. So I rest. (As a side note, I've become more aware this week that teaching yoga really calms me down, and working 1:1 with clients boosts my energy and fills my cup so much it's overflowing!) 
 
Also! I was thrilled to speak to a client this week who’s now in the place of integrating the work we’ve done over the last few months and has gone from seeing rest as a waste of time, feeling there’s always more to be done, battling a mind that will never switch off, to knowing that their energy isn’t up to doing it all right now so is prioritising the things that NEED to be done and REST… nourishing, cup filling, guilt free, rest. 
 
So I will leave you with this… creating a balanced life isn’t about perfectly balancing work, free time, family etc. It’s about being in tune with your energy, your wants, and your needs, and shifting the balance accordingly.