Busy: friend or foe?

We've all experienced a lull over the last year.

Missed holidays, less work, maybe even unemployment. Slowly, things are creeping back to normal and I find myself with plenty on my calendar every day for the first time in a year.

While I'm thrilled to be getting back to work, recording and planning for performances on top of the online teaching I've done over the last year, I've become very aware of how it feels to start piling tasks on and my habits when it comes to work.

For all the negatives over the last year, the major positive is that I've  realized I don't want to take on every last thing just to be busy. I've had enough distance to acknowledge and accept that keeping myself busy just to be busy doesn't prove anything about knowledge, skill, or success. 

(Seth Godin has a great quick blog post about this here.)
​
The difficult part is sticking to that. As the world springs back to action, my work in administration, especially, has the same clamor and chaos as always. Emails are flying and distractions abound. 

I find myself writing post its everywhere and scribbling notes to myself in the margins of my bullet journal. Fix this thing on the website, check that account balance, etc. 

Some demands are unavoidable, but many are ones we create for ourselves. I'm a master at self-made busy. My intentions are good - it's nice to feel like you have a purpose. 

BUT, maybe there is a better way. 

Perhaps I don't have to jot everything down like a crazy person, but rather I could look for a better way to keep track of my responsibilities. 

I can enforce more deep work time for myself, shutting out emails except for designated parts of the day where I can take care of correspondence. 

Beyond the practical ways that we can take control over the noise in our lives, there is a broader view I think we should all take. We'll never have this distance and perspective over our work lives again.

Doing everything good takes time away from the things that could be great. Take practicing your instrument - we all know the difference between ten minutes of practice to get by and an hour to dig in (when it's done well). 

Or, maybe it's continuing to teach that student that hates practicing and only takes lessons because their parents force them to. Is that the best use of your teaching skills and musical knowledge?

We're conditioned as musicians to say yes always, because, what if we miss out?

But what if the reality was that by choosing to say a few strategic "no"s you could create something really spectacular?

The "yes" of your choosing is waiting for you on the other side.