10 Reasons to Ban Busy From Your Family Life

10 Reasons to Ban Busy From Your Family Life-I recently was asked to write a guest post for a prominent website about our Ban Busy Challenge.

And in that post I talked about my personal journey to living a slower life as a mother. At the time, I was not only a doer, I was a proud doer. I was a proud multi-tasker. I was a proud busy person.

But suddenly the busy life felt like it was consuming my every breath.

I couldn't breathe another minute of chaos and busyness.

I felt like I was climbing a never-ending wall that really, truly wasn't leading me anywhere. I had to let it go.

For me, the reasons were so clear.
But, maybe it's not as clear for you or for someone who really enjoys “doing.”

Why should we Ban Busy?
Do we even need to Ban Busy?
What would a slower life mean?
Well, I can't answer those questions for you. I can only answer those questions for myself and my family.

But what I can tell you is that slowing down helped me create a much more abundant life.

And by abundant I mean both the Abundant Mama values talk so much about around here — peaceful, playful and present — as well as actual abundance, a feeling of being satisfied and content with what is.

 
http://www.abundantmama.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/fink-girls.jpg So, here are 10 Reasons to Ban Busy from Your Family Life. You'll Carry Less Guilt

I'm not a big fan of guilt but I can honestly say that when I make a conscious effort to slow down and ban busy from my day, I have more time for the good stuff. So, while I'm never going to be completely guilt-free (it's not my nature) I have way less guilt because I know I am spending my time and hours in the best way I can at the moment. You'll Yell Less

There is a reason we often find ourselves yelling while trying to get the kids out the door — to anywhere — and that reason is called rushing. So, when we slow down and make time our friend, we are automatically going to yell less because there's going to be less pressure to get to so many places and for so many reasons. You'll Actually Save Money

Not only do you save money when you live a slower life, you start to realize how much you do have in your life already. Abundance isn't just about making money and saving money but about feeling good about how you spend your money. And, abundance is also about being content with what you have and where you are in life. You'll Find Meaningful Friendships

If you want real friends, slow down and they will slow down with you. The busy friends — the ones rushing off to do this or that to keep up with the hipsters — aren't looking back. Neither should you. Make real connections your end-goal. You'll Feel Less Distracted

So many moms complain they can't focus on one task and stay in the moment without their mind wandering. Of course not. Being busy is hard work for your mind and your body. Slowing down changes that because there is just less to worry about. It will still be hard but it will be more possible. Distractions really are the cornerstone of busyness. You'll Be More Creative

If you want to start a business, leave your job, write a book or take on any other creative endeavor, slowing down is the only way to make your dreams come true. It's in the spaces of downtime that I have found the best ideas, the ones worth doing. And without those spaces in my life I would never write another blog post again. You'll Discover Peaceful Rhythms

If you want a peaceful family, rushing and yelling is really not going to get you there. Slowing down, however, gives you all more time to fill your days with the things you love. And, in those blank spaces on your calendar is opportunity to connect, engage and be active together. You'll Have Less Errands

When there is just so much to do of course it's never going to get done. Intentionally slowing down doesn't mean not buying groceries, but it definitely decreases all those unnecessary things on your list that you may normally run around town for every single day or week. You'll Be Happier

“I hate laying in the grass on a blanket staring up at the clouds on a sunny day,” said no one ever. More space in your day means a happier you. And if more space in YOUR day means a happier you, imagine what more space in your children's day would mean. You'll Be Closer to Finding Balance

One of the most challenging part of motherhood is never feeling like we have found the right balance between productivity, dreams and caring for our children the way we want to care for them. Slowing down, however, and having less expectations on keeping up with everyone else is actually the only way to achieve balance. Balance is just a myth we have in our heads that maybe, sometimes, we are lucky to feel. But when all of the major distractions are taken away, it's easier to feel that balance more often.