All Narfed Up photography and words by Bryan Villarin

I’ve been taught that you need to keep yourself busy so you don’t get into trouble. That’s probably good advice, because if you leave someone with not much to do, you’re more likely to get into trouble. So, I keep myself “busy”. However, my definition of busy might differ from yours.

I coach, work, and go to school. In my free time, I try to stay nimble in card magic, play guitar in a band, blog, read other blogs, play video games at friends’ houses, etc. What’s the difference in the type of busy-ness of these things? Some of these are necessary for me to advance in life, some are necessary to help other improve in their lives, and some are simply for me to get away from the craziness of life to relax.

In chapter 47 of Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life:

There is seldom enough time and energy to do what you want to do, when you focus only from the level of physical doing. You must constantly let go, relax, and refocus. If you’re in a hurry, your vision can become myopic and your energy can be prematurely exhausted. With your clear intention inserted into the universe, trust that the method and the process and the resources for its manifestation will unfold in the grander scheme, in the best timing. Chill a bit, and allow yourself to play your bigger game.

Two guys in our band took off last week for a few days to just chill and stuff. A road trip, I guess. When they got back, both sounded fresh and ready for the upcoming week, whereas before, one of them seem agitated in regards to our upcoming show. Yesterday, I hung out at a friend’s house all afternoon and played video games, then we watched a DVD that evening before taking off.

The difference I see between me and some of my friends is that they might not take the needed time off to relax. Sure, I might be sacrificing something in the process, but in the long run, I feel that I’m better for it. Ideas definitely pop into my head when I’m not stressing out about something.

At the end of the chapter, David listed three questions:

• What can you do today that you know you don’t have time for?
• What wheels seem to be spinning in your life and work that could use a rest?
• When is the last time you did absolutely nothing?