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“If I’m busy, it must mean that I’m really important. It must mean I am in high demand. It must mean that I’m on track, motivated, active. That’s why being busy has become a ‘humble brag’—a way of bragging without seeming to brag, an assertion of dominance,” writes author Charles Eisenstein, who sees this as the vain side of busyness. On the flip side he feels annoyance: “If I’m busy, I’m not the master of my time. I am subject to the demands of others. I suffer a scarcity of time. Claiming to be busy is therefore a gesture of submissiveness. I won’t say no to you directly, but meekly excuse myself by appealing to outside demands. I am not sovereign over my time; my schedule is.”

Eisenstein delves into these paradoxical feelings to reach a third alternative, “Those of us who long both to be less and more busy, trapped in cycles of procrastination and hurry, sloth and stress, even mania and depression, might find that motivational tips and tricks and New Years’ resolutions and the habits of highly successful people offer little long-term benefit. What has helped me, though, is to recognize the authenticity of my longing—my longing to be busy with a life I love, to hold my time sacred, to be put to the very best use. “

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