How busy to be.

I try to be unbusy. I actually think I can't cope with having my time full. I don't like the effects of stress, which some people seem to thrive on—some people are just high energy people.

Even when I enjoy all the things I do, I know there is a level of activity I can't sustain. And, here is the crucial point: I try and do less than I can sustain, because if I do as much as I can sustain and then something extra comes along I realise I am suddenly overburdened, and collapse (or do Eleven Days Of No*). I need down time. So I try and be a bit unbusy, so that when things come along extra I am still within my limit of sustainable business.

Also, what seems sustainable at first becomes tiring over time. You take on lots of exciting things at the start of the year, carrying it all comfortably, and then you get tired—like at the supermarket—your basket accumulates things, and is OK to carry, but your arm is tired by the time you get to the checkout, let alone carry it home.

So in the cause of well-being and efficiency, don't be too busy.

* When I was so tired and frazzled that the idea of another fun social event with friends made me cry in dread, I blocked out my diary for 11 days and became a recluse. I think that's a good technique for introverts. It really worked.