THE BUSYNESS TRAP

 



THE BUSYNESS TRAP


“Hello, Sanjay,” she said.

Firm but polite. Like a principal about to give me a life lesson.

I had planned to write this week about another topic, but, well, life had other plans.

Let’s continue the story.

“Hello,” she said again, looking at me intently. Uh-oh, I thought. What did I do now?

Then came the verdict:

“You always seem so busy.”

And, just as I was scrambling for a witty comeback, she apologized.

“I’m sorry for speaking my mind,” she said.

I paused. For once, I actually paused.

And then it hit me—I wasn’t even doing anything important! I wasn’t racing to a life-saving operation, wasn’t late for a UN peace negotiation, wasn’t even hurrying to catch a train. Nope.

I was just… walking really, really fast.

For absolutely no reason.

Like some kind of gold-medal Olympic walker, speeding past people I actually know, without so much as a nod.

So, I put on my coaching hat and looked within. (Pro tip: This is slightly more effective than panicking or making excuses.)

And I realized—I was guilty.

Guilty of being that person. The one who always seems busy. The one whose default setting is “rushed,” even when there’s nothing to rush toward.

I had fallen into the Busyness Trap.

The Real Cost of Seeming Busy

Here’s the thing about busyness: sometimes it’s real, but sometimes, it’s just a bad habit.

For me, this little “Aha!” moment revealed a few things:

  1. Speed ≠ Productivity. Walking fast doesn’t mean I’m accomplishing anything. It just makes me look like I have somewhere really important to be (spoiler: I didn’t).
  2. Busyness Can Be a Social Repellent. People hesitate to engage when you always look like you’re one Slack message away from an emergency.
  3. It’s Possible to Be ‘Busy’ Doing Absolutely Nothing. (Turns out, I was just on autopilot, powered by imaginary deadlines.)

A Simple Invitation

So, here’s a tiny experiment for you today:

  • Observe yourself. Do you rush around just because?
  • Catch yourself in a moment of unnecessary hurry.
  • Ask: “What would happen if I slowed down?”

Spoiler: The world won’t end. You won’t get into trouble. And—shockingly—people might even talk to you!

For me, this was a wake-up call wrapped in a very polite intervention.

So, what about you Sanjay? Ever caught yourself speed-walking to nowhere? I’d love to hear your thoughts—just hit reply and share.

Let’s laugh at ourselves and slow down together.

Mindfully (but not too fast),
Sanjay

P.S. For a deeper dive, check out this 2 minute video on How to Avoid the Busy Trap. 

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