Tweet

How Smart Women Stay Busy

Written by: Joy Chudacoff

Article Overview: I have the good fortune to spend meaningful time with a lot of smart women who keep me on track about what’s going on in women’s lives. One topic that resonates with many of these women (and with me) is the idea of busyness. It is vital that we as women take the time to explore what provides us with meaning, energy, and passion. Whether we are married or unmarried, with children or without, we all have the same number of hours in the day. We can spend those hours doing things that energize us.

How Smart Women Stay Busy

I have the good fortune to spend meaningful time with a lot of smart women who keep me on track about what’s going on in women’s lives. One topic that resonates with many of these women (and with me) is the idea of busyness. This issue is of great interest in my Women’s Learning Circles. Not being busy, for many of us, seems elusive – almost selfish. Whether you are a stay-at-home mom, a career woman, or – like most women I know – wearing both hats, you’ve probably been well indoctrinated with the idea that you must stay busy – all day, every day, no matter what. Why?

In The Power of Purpose, author Richard Leider says “since busyness is a status symbol in our society, even our leisure time is heavily scheduled. It keeps our mind very busy with no time for listening to the inner voice.” Sometimes that inner voice we’re not hearing wants to give us advice. Sometimes it wants to ask us questions.

If we stay busy all the time, we can’t hear this inner voice and can’t find time to ponder some of the “big” questions: What brings me passion? What increases my energy? The first two answers that come to my mind are sex and more sleep! Other important questions might include: What do I value most? What are my gifts and how can I use them? What are my priorities? What am I doing to take care of myself, be of service, be fully alive? If I were living 100% authentically, what would that look like? What gives me a creative spark?

There was a time in my life when I could not answer these questions, and that terrified me. I was not fulfilled professionally. I was tired and bored and felt out of sync with the rest of the world. Looking back, I realize that I stayed in this mode for too long because I did not have solutions to create changes and I didn’t give myself the time and space to listen to my inner voice.

Did I have ideas percolating during this time? Yes! I thought about how I enjoyed working with women, watching them process their lives and come up with great ideas and solutions with the help of other bright, supportive women. There was a lot of energy around this for me. The thoughts fueled me. Years ago, I was a member of a Women’s Circle and I enjoyed it tremendously. But, again, I was too busy being busy to take action on this idea that intrigued me so.

I had my first child at the age of forty. When my son Jack and daughter Jenna were born (now five and three, respectively) I left my career to be a stay-at-home mom. Having children has been one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. In being a mother, I am the student and my children teach me about life every day.

As much as I loved being a stay-at-home mom, I knew that in order to be fulfilled I’d ultimately need to integrate that role with having a career. For me, the way to do that was having my own business – like I had before – but this time around it’s a business that I am passionate about. I’m doing work I love with people I care about and I feel fully engaged with this process. Am I busy? You bet! But what I’ve learned is that it’s not about being busy – it’s about being busy doing work that is meaningful.

For you, finding the “right kind of busy” may mean having a demanding career, staying home with your children, doing valuable volunteer work, or embarking on something wildly creative. It may mean balancing and integrating several things. Is your work at home, in your career, or in your community adding significance, purpose, and meaning to your life?

My work is about helping women successfully integrate all that they want to do in their lives. One of my goals with this newsletter is for it to be a space for women to share what they know about how to be busy in a meaningful way, about how not to be busy, and about how they successfully balance all the important roles in their lives.

In this issue of the newsletter you’ll learn about taking time for yourself by creating a meditation practice. You will read an interview with Pam Yelsky who is an amazing woman doing important work. Guest columnist Lynn Schoener writes about how to create a personal advisory board. You’ll also find information on our upcoming Women’s Learning Circles — the place to find the support you need to create, maintain, and thrive by having an integrated and balanced life that works for you. We’re also excited to announce a new teleclass series for entrepreneurial women which will launch in September.

It is vital that we as women take the time to explore what provides us with meaning, energy, and passion. Whether we are married or unmarried, with children or without, we all have the same number of hours in the day. We can spend those hours doing things that energize us. My hope is that this first issue of Reflections will give you some solutions to help you find, reflect upon, and respect your own thoughts and ideas about where your journey is leading you.

Related Articles
  Are Men Smarter Than Women
  How Smart Women Stay Connected
  Are MLM Companies For Women Only?
  Smart Women Practice Quality Not Quantity
  Lesson #3: Know the Difference between Working Hard and Working Smart

Article Tags: busyness, good fortune, meaningful time, passion, smart women



Related Forum Posts
Re: History of Women in Business in the United States - Yes. Women have increasingly made positive economic contributions to society and their position is being recognized more and more as seen on the Forbes List of Executive Women. In general, women can be a bit more practical in their approach as entrepreneurs too.
A ton of Great Women - You might want to profile Teresa Cascioli of LakePort Brewery. She has an amazing story! I met her at at the celebratory luncheon for the Profit/Chatelaine Top 100 Women Business Owners. The Top 100 list is also a great resource for inspirational stories of Women Entrepreneurs.
Re: Are entrepreneur women more organized than men? - Women are generally more organised than men. They have good instincts more than men. Women are generally aggressive when it come to business. You don't want to mess up with them.
Re: Are entrepreneur women more organized than men? - The issue of women being more organized than men is true, start from you home, just see how messy the boys are. Women are also very cautious, unlike men who take any risk, a woman will analyze the risk first. Women are also go getter when it comes to business, once they make their mind, then they go for it.
Re: Why aren't there more women entrepreneurs? - My opinion on this (being a women, and being disabled), is; Women in general like security. Women are the caretakers, in general. In the work environment we are the one to have children. We are the ones who leave work to do this. We deal with a stigma that we are bad mothers if we work, but we are a bad mother if we do not work. I feel there is no way a man could ever understand this. Sure they can try, and some do a good job of it, however they truly do not understand. How could they?? Being a entrepreneur is throwing cation to the wind. It takes believing in yourself. It takes a women who can have someone say no, put us down or just plan old negativity and for us to turn it around. Women who can do this are called names, while men in the business world are just expected to have a thick skin. Studies show in the work environment that women are more apt to be bullies. Women are more apt to turn on each other. We expect more out of each other. Many women also use the work environment to socialize and to find a mate. Men and women are not created equal. Once we understand this and take what we are and "run" with it; the better all of us will be. Women business owners, women entrepreneurs are still considered a minority. Since there are more women then men in this world, some day this will turn around. This too is why men need to protect themselves and keep us under some kind of control. What bothers me to no end is when women give in to the mans world using sex as a selling tool. We need strong women leaders, not those who use their bodies as a step up. This is just my opinion on this subject.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

What is an Adaptive Organization

Getting The Media Attention You Deserve

Think Time

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.