My year of less is more: 10 reasons why doing less feels strange

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As you well know by now I'm aiming to slow down this year.  And am particularly aiming to start the year off slowly to leave room for the unknowns.  But after going fast for so long, I have to confess it is truly strange!

Here's what I'm finding strange about not being madly busy:

1.  I feel like there is something a bit wrong with me for not being really busy.

2.  You don't get a lot of admiring comments when you do less!  You get lots of that when you're super busy.

3.  I'm actually saying yes to one-offs more often than no.  To spontaneous things like having a friend for a meal or inviting in unexpected visitors for a chat and a cup of tea.

4.  I don't feel exhausted all the time

5.  Cooking dinner doesn't feel like a mountain too high to climb

6.  I have time to text a friend and see how they're going instead of just being consumed by ME, me, me!

7.  I'll actually pray for people when I say I will - more than once sometimes.

8.  I didn't feel stressed when my husband told me about an extra weekend away he's speaking on this year.

9.  I spent the weekend reading a book and felt OK that I hadn't done any housework because there is still time during the week to do it.

10.  I haven't woken once in a 4am mad panic yet, which has a been a standard February event for the past five years.

I'm starting to get a little concerned that I'm going to lose my busy mojo and once anything mildly more busy comes along I'll be a mess!  In some ways it feels a bit like some kind of withdrawal - maybe an adrenaline withdrawal.  I have to resist the temptation to ramp it up again to get back those feelings of value and importance that come alongside busyness.  I think I need to learn how to find value in less.

Comments

Anonymous said…
That's great Jenny.

I've really appreciated your blogs.

I think the trouble is this conspiracy of silence where everyone looks around and thinks that they should be able to do everything easily (or their husbands think they should be able to) because everyone around them seems to do a zillion things.
February 10, 2014 at 9:23 PM
Jenny said…
But my question is always 'at what cost?' And what I'm so very slowly learning is that while comparison can help us share life together, it is also dangerous because we & our families are all soooo different. I say this for myself as much as anyone else. I regularly feel quite pathetic!
February 10, 2014 at 9:30 PM
Julia said…
we also have to remember that different people have different levels of madness...one woman with 2 kids may be coping less well than another woman with 5 kids or 8...and that is ok...some women are more domestically inclined than others and, some (like me) really struggle to stay on top of (or even nearly on top of) housework...
February 11, 2014 at 10:42 AM
Sarah said…
:)

I think it sounds great. Well done. I agree with what Julia said. I can't cope with very much. Things that other people seem to do with ease send me into a panic so I've had to really simplify my life and say 'no' very often. My husband told me he didn't like living in Perth because he felt pressure to go out and do things all the time, as if putting your feet up occasionally was a crime.

I'm enjoying your 'less is more' posts.
February 11, 2014 at 4:57 PM
Susie said…
Thanks Jenny. My year is slowish too. Not strategically, but it has evolved that way. So far I am thankful for the space. I enjoyed your comments. S x
February 20, 2014 at 9:38 AM
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