Resources for Overcoming Busy
October 8, 2009 by Marci
Before I started blogging here at Overcoming Busy, I felt I was all alone in my quest to slow down and enjoy life – to stop being “busy”. I wanted to jump off the hamster wheel to nowhere, while the world was jumping on and speeding up. All around me, families were meeting themselves coming and going, never stopping to ask why. I talked with moms all the time who were frazzled and not exactly happy with their overflowing schedules, but were resigned to the notion that this was the way family life was supposed to be.
Whenever I would listen to moms talk about their non-stop taxi service and all their “responsibilities” at school and church and on their kids’ sports teams, I’m sure my eyebrows and forehead wrinkled up into that “Whatever!” look, even though my voice said “Oh, that’s nice”. (My husband says my face always tells what I am really thinking.) That’s not the plan I had for my family. But, I felt like I was swimming upstream against a current of “busyness”. I started blogging to get my thoughts and ideas out there and to encourage moms to take their families out of the rat race and back into relationships.
What an awesome feeling when I found other bloggers and eventually readers who felt the same way as I did! I soon found that “overcoming busy” was very similar to the concept of “simple living” that so many moms were searching for and blogging about. Contrary to what I had been seeing in my day to day dealings with people, there was an online movement toward that simple life. A slower paced life. A life of God, family and friends. A life of keeping a peaceful home and raising a good family.
There are so many great blogs out there about living the simple life. These resources have been so valuable to me over these past few months. One blog that has been speaking volumes to me lately is Sister Wisdom. Annie, the author, is a wonderful writer who has great wisdom to share about everything from parenting to faith to living a simple life. She also has a great e-book, Moving Toward Simplicity, which is available for download on SisterWisdom. There is so much good stuff in that little e-book! It is a great primer in simplifying life to get to what is really important. I keep going back to it. Do yourself a favor and check it out!
I am in a continual search for blogs and webistes that speak to me and encourage me to keep overcoming busy. I have many of them listed in my “sites I like” section. It is so wonderful to know that I am not out here alone fighting against the world. Are you in a journey to Overcome Busy or to simplify your life? What resources are helping you?
Comments (2)
It seems to be the norm to run around all the time and be busy. I am trying to simplify too and get all organized to help with that. I feel that it is really important for us to spend family time together as often as possible and to be here for my daughter. Also for my daughter to have down time to do what she wants. We found out this summer and we love to read together or just relax really. We dont need the hussle and the bussle that other families do it is not for us.
I am glad I found your blog and look forward to reading more and I will be reading backwards to see what other wonderful postings you have too.
Yes, yes, yes! Simplicity is such a beautiful concept to me! I have 2 little guys, almost-1 and just-turned-5. I’ve been determined not to be like the other families at our church who “can’t” come half the time because of their children’s(!) committments. I thought we wouldn’t really get hit with the “busy bug” until my kids were in school, but I was unpleasantly surprised to discover that from birth, many kids were in classes, lessons, groups… I don’t want that for my family – I want to be different! I want my family to know the joys of reading a book together, of taking a walk after supper, of making a spaceship from cardboard boxes and finding animal shapes in the clouds. But the pressure to conform! I’m feeling it already, as if I’m not a good Mom if a single moment of my kids’ lives remains unscheduled… Thank you for expressing your desire to overcome busy and for putting practical steps out there to help Moms like me achieve success. Blessings on you and your family as you seek peace and simplicity!