YOU 


AREN’T 

BUSY

YOU’RE 

HIDING
A Short Essay
 Are you really that busy?

Or do you just like how it sounds to

say, “Oh, I’m so busy”?
Does “I’m so busy” have the ring of 

a certain je ne sais quoi?

Oh, fuck it. 


We sais the quoi:
You feel important saying it.
You know it.
Say it now.
It sounds mighty, doesn’t it?
“I’m so busy” is an echo of this melange:

Carelessness
Recklessness
Indifference
Mindlessness
Confusion
Harrowedness
Exploitation

each one your soul identifies with

Busywork is a security blanket 

and you hide under it.
BUSY
WOR
K
YO
U
 How are you?

Active

“Busy.”

Activated
Not activated

Passive
 You like activated charcoal 

more than you like activated you.

You didn’t even know activated

charcoal was a thing until recently.
But you like it.

Maybe, if you knew what

an activated you was, you’d also like it.
Next time you want to answer “How are you?”
with “So busy”, perhaps you could add:

“I could really use some support.”

“I need help to work out what I'm doing.”
“I’d appreciate some ear time with you.”
“Can you take some of my work?”
“When are we hiring that extra person?”
 The harder work lies in the finding:

Work out how you want to live

Work out how to earn a living from this
Do it
Repeat

Most families aren't equipped to teach this to their children

because most adults don’t know themselves.
This is why I wish schools were more focused on 

“How do you want to live?" 

and not “How are you going to earn a living?”