Burn Baby, Burn(out)
When did “being busy” become so dang cool?
We all have those friends who are constantly on the go, running here and there and broadcasting how busy their daily life is. Heck: I used to do it, too. Several years ago (in what feels like another lifetime) I had two part-time jobs and an absurdly demanding full-time job.
The busier my work life was (and the less time I had to just relax) the ~cooler~ and more successful I felt.
But even though I was logging 70+ hours of work each week, I wasn’t making that much more money, and I definitely wasn’t a healthier or happier version of myself.
As it turns out, my story isn’t uncommon; many millennial women are experiencing job burnout before they even turn 30. It’s WAY too easy for us as a society (especially the women in my age group) to equate busyness with success.
No wonder we’re so stressed!
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.”
Millennials and Generation Z have entered the workforce amid a unique set of social and cultural norms, including economic uncertainty and an incredibly competitive job market.
With technology that enables us to be connected 24/7 making us immediately available and “always on”, and social media platforms that encourage us to literally compare our lives to those of our peers, it’s not at all surprising that reportedly almost 90% of Gen Z is stressed out by work and finances (TIME) or that 70% of millennials experience burnout at work (Gallup).
As someone who is just starting out in their freelance career, the sometimes fluctuating workload and oftentimes inconsistent pay can increase the pressure to hustle as hard as humanly possible- and to say “yes” to whatever gig might come your way.
However, this is the kind of attitude that leads to poor quality of work, and a higher probability for burnout- as well as a myriad of other mental health issues.
This kind of lifestyle is just not sustainable.
Here’s what I realized: Laziness is a lost art.
I don’t mean laziness in the sense of losing motivation, not prioritizing what’s important and dropping the euphemistic ball. I mean proper idleness- where we choose to do absolutely nothing. To sit in a state of mindful awareness without needing a distraction or to be doing something productive. We are not machines.
In a world of constant stimulation, we rarely put up our “mental feet” and instead find ourselves bouncing from distraction to distraction. We spend our free time checking emails, reading the (ghastly) news, scrolling endlessly on Instagram (I’m the worst perpetrator of this…) and so on–activities that can leave us not only over-stimulated, but can actually make us more tired and anxious.
In any given moment, our attention is either focused or unfocused.
Being focused is what allows us to be productive, lets us get work done, have meaningful conversations and move our lives forward towards our goals. But, as it turns out, research shows that NOT focusing is just as powerful, in entirely different ways. While focusing makes us more productive, not being focused allows us to “free our minds” and inherently be more creative. There is even research to prove that “being lazy” is a sign of intelligence. Maybe I’m grasping at straws here, but I’ll take what I can get…
The Art of Doing Nothing
The Italians have a saying for this lost art; “La Dolce Far Niente,” which translates to "the sweetness of doing nothing." This is a totally compelling notion for me–the idea that Doing Nothing is an activity in and of itself.
How different would your quality of life be if you made time throughout the day to experience la dolce far niente?
Instead of using precious free moments to catch up on TikTik (raises hand slowly), instead of checking your email one last time (they’re not paying you that much, put the phone down) instead of using your free time to check your bank accounts or go online shopping…what if you just did nothing?
I’m on a mission to be comfortable with doing nothing; I’ve become a huge proponent of being lazy, even when that goes against everything else I’ve been encouraged to believe about the so-called road to success.
Hard work is admirable; for many, it’s required. But I believe that there is more to life than the #hustle, and I think it’s important to remember that it’s a means to an end, and not the end itself.
