The Perils of Extreme Busy-ness
By Sharon Teitelbaum, MA, MCC, Sharon@stcoach.com

I don't know about you, but when I am in "extremely busy" mode, I become a slave to my to-do list. Did you ever see "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," where the aliens take over the bodies of humans? The person's body looks the same as always, but it's the alien who's alive in it, speaking through that person's voice. That's very much what happens to me when I get taken over by my task list. If you bump into me at the grocery store, it may look like I am standing there chatting with you, but I am not. I am watching my mental clock and agonizing over the lost time of standing there on one foot talking to you instead of finishing the shopping and getting to the next item on my list. I am not proud of this.

But that's not the worst of it. When I am am running for days on end, I lose my connection to myself and my effectiveness takes a nosedive. The intense pace keeps me at the surface of my life, and I become separated from my deeper groundings. Out there at the surface, I am so much less capable of responding to the real demands of my life. When my daughters were teens and I was a workaholic systems analyst, there were times when major issues came up, opportunities to really come through as a parent, that I just completely missed because I was so disconnected. I could see this was a "good parenting moment," but for the life of me I could not find the heart of the matter or get a real handle on the situation, and instead resorted to conventional wisdom rather than my own, to platitudes rather than my own authentic voice. It wasn't fatal, but it was a loss. Do you experience disconnection like this when you are running for days (or years) on end?

At this point in my life -- my daughters are grown, I work for myself -- I have much more control over my time and my pace, and I don't go to that strung-out-at-the-surface place nearly as often as I used to. But I still do. Here are three things that help me (when I think to use them) put the task list in its place and re-connect to myself, other people, and the present. Any one of them can do the trick.

Coaching Tips

1. Take 10 minutes off the treadmill and just BE. Sit quietly and do nothing but breathe. Your brain will race, but all you have to do is witness it.
   
   
2. Write. Take 10 minutes and write down everything that is on your mind. This process can be very clearing.
   
   
3. Invoke gratitude. Name 25 things you feel grateful for in your life. Having running water in your home. Your spouse. Your cat. Pomegranates. That your parents loved you when you were little. That you don't live in a war zone. (You get the idea.)

If any of this strikes a chord for you, you might benefit from some short term coaching to address your own particular busy-ness issues. Contact me to set up an initial coaching consultation by phone. You'll know by the end of our meeting if you want to work with me or not.

If people in your organization are perpetually in survival mode, contact me about productivity and time management training or visit the training pages of my website.

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