Keeping Busy

A friend of mine posted the article "Busy isn't respectable anymore" from Tyler Wardis's blog. It struck a chord with me. I have had a hard time shutting down from "work mode" or "online" mode. It's made me anxious, worried, and made it difficult to relax. I feel like I should be doing something all the time. 

We use "busy" as a general way to describe our lives or as an excuse to not do things. 

I've noticed that I tend to grossly overestimate how long it takes me to do something that is "offline." And then I'm amazed that I have some extra time to spare. 

I like being active and doing things, but how much of my work is productive? (Just even in the last few minutes while writing this post I've gotten up to get food, checked Facebook, and answered the phone.) Where is that balance between "good" work and "busy" work? When is it appropriate to relax and when is it being lazy? 

I sometimes feel like I'm not working hard enough, but I always feel like I'm doing everything. I usually have things on my plate to do and places to go. But there are those empty spaces in my day when I get 

A friend of mine keeps complaining he was so busy all the time and he would often forget to do little things like wash the dishes or take out the trash. And he would usually take a three-hour nap most nights. Is he still a busy guy? Or does he just not manage his time well?

I agree with Wardis that "busy" should be greatly reduced from the vocabulary. It's overused. We use it an excuse as well as a description of our lives. 

I will start saying what I am actually doing instead of making a blanket statement about what is occupying my time.