“Busyness causes blindness and amnesia. You can become so busy that you lose sight of what you’re doing and forget why it matters. Busy leaders fall into frustration produced by immersion without reflection.” – Dan Rockwell
We all fall into this trap from time to time. We get so busy – we become frenetic – and we lose sight of what’s most important. What’s worse is when we revel in our busyness – when we see our busyness as martyrdom. When we reach this frenzied pitch we have tunnel vision – we fail to press pause and get our minds right.
As educators, as parents, and as leaders we must protect time to listen and observe. Building relationships, developing trust, is predicated on our ability to use all our senses to make reflective, purposeful decisions. When we are ramped-up and hectic, when our busyness causes us to operate on autopilot and without reflection, we are operating by default. When we operate below the line we are less than our best.
Purposefully make time to observe and reflect. Fight the urge to move from one thing to the next – intentionally create time for reflection. Embrace your passion for growth with the understanding that growth comes from a relentless commitment to reflection and self-awareness. Busy doesn’t equate to productive – it simply means you are probably permitting the world to pass by you.
Life in Focus 