The following post is by MPFJ staff writer, Melissa Batai. Melissa is a freelance writer who covers topics ranging from personal finance to business to organics to food. She blogs at Mom’s Plans where she shares her family’s journey to healthier living and paying down debt.
My name is Melissa, and I’m addicted to being busy. There. I said it out loud. I have an addiction to being busy, which has only gotten worse in the last three years that I’ve been homeschooling my kids.
There are so many great activities, co-ops, etc., for the kids that saying “no” is hard. Inevitably, I overbook our schedule one semester, and we limp through, exhausted. The next semester, I’m wiser, and then I cut our responsibilities down to the bare minimum so we can spend more time at home. But the semester after that, recharged, I overcommit again.
It’s a bad cycle, but, unfortunately, I’m not alone.
If you’re like most Americans, you’re probably overly busy, too. According to Dr. Gina Manguno-Mire, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Tulane University Health Sciences Center, “America is an achievement-oriented culture. Success is defined by accomplishment, and that mindset starts at a very early age. Today, we see both kids and adults who are so structured that they just don’t seem to know what to do with free time, so they fill it with activities” (Health Fitness Magazine).
Sound familiar?
But it gets worse. Our addiction to busyness is costing us money in a myriad of ways, both short and long-term.
Short Term
In the short term, busyness costs us money on a daily basis. We have to pay for the activities we’re involved in, and we spend additional money as we look to save time and we lose track of the items that we already have.
Activity Expense
Being in many different activities costs a lot of money. Right now, my kids are in archery, photography, and citizenship 4-H groups. They’re also in two homeschool co-ops. The expense of all of these activities easily cost us $500 extra this semester.
It’s a bit ironic that to overbook yourself with activities costs money, and then once you’re too busy you spend too much money on the following items:
Convenience foods
When we’re busy, we don’t have as much time to cook, so we rely on restaurants, fast foods, and quick convenience foods. All of those food sources typically cost much more than if we made a nice, basic meal at home.
Even though my family is very busy right now, I’m still cooking at home, which is good. However, I am spending more on food because I find myself buying things like already chopped cauliflower for cauliflower “rice” instead of processing it myself or buying more lunch meat for quick lunches instead of eating the from-scratch lunches we usually make.
Gas
Running around town for activity after activity causes you to use more gas. While gas prices are reasonable now, this expense can really hit your wallet when gas prices are $3 or more per gallon. Still, I’m easily spending $20 to $30 more per month on gas than I do during quieter semesters.
In addition, because I’m using the car more, I have to have oil changes and tune ups more frequently than I would if we had a quieter, simpler schedule.
Buying more items than you need
Let’s face it. When you’re too busy, you don’t have as much time to clean. Clutter may build up, and it’s hard to find the items you need. You may unknowingly buy one or two of an item that you already have but have forgotten that you own or simply can’t find.
My son has been too busy to really clean his room the last few months. However, last weekend, he had a little free time, and he found two items he thought he had lost that we were planning to purchase again—his arm guard for archery, and his calligraphy pen for calligraphy. True, if we had to buy these items again, we would have only spent approximately $20, but that’s $20 we shouldn’t have had to spend because we already owned the items.
When losing items and buying them again because you can’t find them becomes a habit, you could be wasting hundreds of dollars every year.
Long Term
While the short-term expenses can add up, the long-term expenses of being addicted to busyness are really budget busters.
Medical expenses
Your body may be affected by your schedule because you may not be sleeping as well, and you may not be eating as well as you should as evidenced by the many convenience foods you may rely on. Both lack of sleep and reliance on convenience or fast food can lead to weight gain, which leads to medical conditions like high triglycerides, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc.
Busyness causes stress, and stress can lead to a host of health problems if you aren’t already suffering from health problems because of lack of sleep and weight gain. Being addicted to busyness may result in the need for prescription medication for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. If the stress is unmitigated, it may eventually lead to heart attacks and strokes years down the road.
Wear and tear on your vehicle
I mentioned the expense of more frequent oil changes and tune ups in the short term effects, but the long term effect is that your vehicle wears out more quickly. If you weren’t driving to as many locations, your car might last you 15 years, if you choose. However, an accelerated life styles means you add on the miles more quickly, cutting several years off the time you can keep your car in good working condition.
A perpetual cycle of busyness
Over the last two weeks, my family and I have carved some downtime into our busy schedule. I noticed that my kids really didn’t know what to do with themselves or their free time. When kids and adults are always busy, we don’t know how to entertain ourselves or how to lose ourselves in a project or an interest we’d like to pursue.
Children who are being raised this way will naturally crave busyness, and all of the related stress, pressure, and financial burden that goes with it, as they grow older. This simply perpetuates the cycle of busyness.
According to journalist Tim Kreider, in his 2012 article for The New York Times, The Busy Trap, “‘Busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against emptiness.’ Some people actively create their hectic lifestyle because they dread ‘what they might have to face in its absence’” (Health Fitness Magazine).
What Should You Do If You Want to Break the Busy Cycle?
My family and I have been in this super busy cycle for just two months, and we have two months to go before it’s over. We’ve already decided to cut our responsibilities in half for upcoming semesters so we can enjoy our activities and our lives.
However, if you’ve been in a busy cycle for much longer, slowing down isn’t always easy. Dr. Manguno-Mire says, “It is important to remember that busier does not necessarily mean happier.” She advises “taking a ‘gut check,’ especially when feeling overwhelmed. ‘Be present and mindful in your own life. Ask yourself, what am I doing? What meaning do I derive from this? Create support systems, and carve out unstructured time every day, even if it is just half an hour. Set boundaries with technology. All these things help counteract the effects of stress. And ask yourself this—who really needs to be busy and available 24/7?” (Health Fitness Magazine).
How about you all? Are you addicted to busyness? If so, are you still in the busyness trap? If not, how did you learn to slow down?
Share your experiences by commenting below!
***Photo courtesy https://pixabay.com/en/tired-axhausted-woman-female-377438/
