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a 21-day challenge

to help you trade your busy life for a full one

Welcome to the Busy Boycott!

Are you overwhelmed with everything you have to get done? Are you too busy to honestly identify how you want to spend your time? Too busy for friends or family? Too busy to do great work because there is just so much of it?

Busyness is an epidemic. Think about it. Everyone you know is crazy- busy. We use our busyness as an excuse, a competition, and even as validation. If you’ve ever measured the success of your day, or your self-worth based on how much you accomplished or how many check marks are on your to-do list, you know what I mean.

Worst of all, busyness has become a habit. You might not even realize how busy you are. This challenge might not completely eliminate your busyness, but it will give you the time and information you need to consider how your busyness is affecting your health, relationships, and work and provide very specific actions to implement to help you begin to slow down and be less busy.

If you are one of the lucky few who aren’t busy, you might not need to read anymore. If you know someone that could use this challenge, they can sign up on bemorewithless.com and I’ll make sure they get a copy.

The Busy Boycott weekly challenge actions are short and sweet. You are only getting one simple action a week because this challenge is here to help you become less busy. Spend 7 whole days focusing on each action.

Before you get started, join The Busy Boycott Facebook Group for extra motivation and accountability. If you aren’t a fan of Facebook, skip it.

Let’s get started!

Courtney

P.S. I’d love to hear about your busy boycott challenge. When sharing via social media, please use hashtag #busyboycott. You are welcome to email me with feedback too: courtney@bemorewithless.com.

I started my busy boycott one afternoon when I was driving my daughter home from school. I was on my phone, driving on the freeway as she was telling me about her day. I made an audio recording about what happened that day. You can listen by clicking here.

Before you jump into this week’s challenge action, take a few minutes to write down the answers to the following questions.

• What are you compromising for the sake of your busyness?

• How would you feel if you weren’t attempting to multi-task your way through the day?

• Describe a perfect day. What time would you wake up? Who you spend time with? What passions would you explore?

Until the moment I decided to stop taking phone calls in my car, I never considered that I really had a choice about how I spent my time. As a working mom and wife, with lots of obligations, debt, work responsibilities, and other commitments, I spent most of my time reacting to everything life threw my way.

Now, after years of cutting back and reinventing, I’m rarely busy. Because of that, I’m healthier, more present, and I’m a nicer person to be around.

Week One Challenge Action (days 1-7)

STOP TALKING ABOUT IT For all that is good and holy, let’s stop telling each other how busy we are. Perhaps, if we can physically remove the word busy from conversation, we can stop thinking about it so much.

When you tell someone how busy you are, you remind yourself too. You might feel busier than you actually are. Not only that, but often, “I’m so busy” comes across as, “I’m too busy for you.”

For the next 7 days, ban the word “busy” from your vocabulary. You will likely slip and slide over this, catch yourself mid-sentence, and become hyper- aware of not only how often you want to use the word, but how everyone else is over using it too.

Tip: Avoid hearing the word busy by asking better questions. Instead of “How are you?” try, “What made you smile today?”

In an interview with the Washington Post, the wise and wonderful author and vulnerability researcher Brene Brown said, "The expectations of what we can get done, and how well we can do it, are beyond human scale.”

Even if we could “do it all,” can we do it all well? And at what cost? What if we could make a bigger impact by doing less? My dad gave me some sage advice once upon a time. He told me never to order pizza from a seafood restaurant, or seafood from a pizza place.

He knew that we can’t be really good at everything and when we try to do it all, we have to make compromises in both the quality of our work and our own health and sanity.

Week 2 Challenge Action (days 8-14)

DO LESS Instead of searching for more efficient ways to do it all, do less. Say “no,” and protect your time for what matters most to you. Work with people who want your best not your busiest. Stop comparing your lists, your life, and your love.

Everyday for the next 7 days, eliminate one thing from your calendar or to-do list. Don’t postpone it, let it go. If you are really worried about missing something, write it down and put in an envelope. If you don't miss it or even remember it at the end of the week, toss the envelope.

Tip: Know your strengths. What do you do best? What can you delegate or release completely?

When my work was stressful and demanding, I used to really look forward to vacations. It always took about two days before I could let go and begin to really relax, and then last two days I was stressed-out about going back to my busy life. I remember many getaways where I actually cried on the last day because I didn’t want to leave, or should I say, I didn't want to go back to the hurry, the rush, and the stress.

I still love travel and getaways, but I’m always happy to come home too. I look forward to getting back to my routine, my work, and my life. I’ve structured my time in such a way that I can enjoy my days. I rarely feel rushed, and my brain isn’t overwhelmed with endless tasks and decisions. This week’s challenge action has contributed so much to my more relaxed way of life.

Week 3 Challenge Action (days 15-21)

LINGER MORE

A busy life says, “Hurry up! You’re falling behind. Do more!” A slow one says, “You can stop now. It’s OK to be still and listen to your soul.” There is no guilt in self-care, and no shame in lingering, or waking up slowly.

Slowing down supports your commitment to create and protect the space you need to heal, grow, and thrive in your life. Savor good food, conversation, and beautiful views. Fall in love. Smile. Breathe. Then, fall in love again.

Every day for the next 7 days, find something to linger over. If lingering doesn’t come naturally, try one of these recommendations ...

Linger first.

When you wake up in the morning, breath and stretch. Look out the window before you look at your computer or phone. Smile.

Take a long lunch.

If you work for someone who wouldn’t understand, you might have to tell a little, white lie. Try something like, “I have a dentist appointment today and may run a little late.” Then meet a friend at a cafe or in a park for a walk and leave your cell phone in the car.

Create for 30 minutes.

Try drawing even if you don’t know how to draw. Don’t try to make anything amazing, just make something with your hands and your heart. During your 30 minutes, give painting or writing a shot. Give yourself the time and permission to linger over creativity.

Plan a meal.

Nourish your body and your soul with a slow cooked meal. Turn on some Diana Krall or other music that helps you melt into the moment and slowly chop vegetables, stir sauces, and set the table. Light candles and call everyone for dinner. If it’s just you, sit at the table and admire what you’ve created. Turn down the lights, ban cell phones and electronics from the room and let the dishes wait. If you have successfully reclaimed the lost art of lingering, you will spend more time at the table enjoying your meal than you did creating it.

Tip: Lose the guilt. Instead of thinking about the opposite of busyness as lazy, I invite you to consider that the opposite of a busy life is a full life and an intentional life.

With more demands on our time, the advances in modern day technology, and our desire to be seen, accomplished, and important, the pressure is on to DO More with less. Instead, join me, boycott busy and BE more with less.

Thank You!

Courtney

P.S. I’d love to hear about your busy boycott challenge. When sharing via social media, please use hashtag #busyboycott. You are welcome to email me with feedback too: courtney@bemorewithless.com.