It was several years ago that I began thinking a lot about the busyness of life. As I thought about it, observed those around me, and thought about it some more, I came to dislike the word busy.
Perhaps it sounds strange to dislike a word, but I have found that busy is not a word I really enjoy using or hearing. (Side note: if you’re in my real life, don’t be afraid to use this word around me. It’s okay, really!)
When it comes down to it, there are 3 big reasons I don’t like the word BUSY.
(This post contains affiliate links, so thenotsobusymom receives a very small commission if you make a purchase through the links. Thank you for supporting the blog!)
It’s Overused
Take some time in the coming week to really listen to how often this word is used. Observe how often the people you come in contact with use it. Notice how often you use the word.
I think you will be shocked by just how often people use the term busy. I would almost categorize it as a buzz word these days. And the more a word is used (and overused), the less enamored I am by the word.
It’s generally used negatively
Not only is this word used with frequency, it’s almost always used negatively.
“Ugh. This week’s so busy!”
“I don’t know what to do; we’re just sooo busy!”
“I’m not looking forward to this busy season.”
Busy in and of itself is not a negative word, but we consistently use it in a negative way.
Every once in awhile you’ll hear someone say something positive about being busy, but overall, people are busy, upset about it, and ready to tell you just that!
Other words get squeezed out
Busy is so overused and so often thought of in a negative way that very rarely do people consider other words to describe their days or their weeks or (even) their lives.
Busy has become the default, descriptive word of choice, but there are so many other ways to describe our days and weeks.
Yes, a day can be busy, but it can also be: fun, tiring, exciting, ordinary, complicated, restful, memorable, sad, overwhelming, calm, hectic, satisfying, lovely, etc.
A Better Word?
The tagline for my blog is: living a full life without the busy. FULL is truly the way I like to describe my life. Why? It’s not this overused buzz word. Instead, it’s a word that speaks of intention and purpose.
Full is not negative. For me, it’s quite positive. I’m happy to have things to do & I want to do them well. I want to carefully consider my priorities & commitments in order to move beyond the busy & live life with purpose and to the full!
What about you? What do you think of the word BUSY? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, so drop me a comment below!
Until next time,
Charissa
