The opposite of laziness is being hard-working or diligent. After all, who would want to be known as lazy? Not many can argue that being productive with your time is bad. However, when a lack of productivity or some productivity from time to time leaves you feeling guilty, it is a problem. Some people struggle with downtime and their eagerness for purpose can leave them with a constant feeling of not doing enough. If this is you and you identify with some level of being a workaholic, let’s dive in.
How To Deal With The Constant Feeling Of Not Doing Enough
The constant feeling of not doing enough is something I struggle with every day. I have a list in my mind of what I think is productive. I need to be able to read my Bible and whatever other book I’m on, exercise, and work on our businesses at least six days a week. Even on my “day off”, I feel like I need to be able to do all the housework, laundry, and planning for the week ahead. If my plans got rearranged during the day because of something, I feel the need to make it up by working into the night. Taking some time off makes me feel icky like I’m a waste of a human. I need to feel useful.
It takes a constant renewal of my mind and the truth of God’s words to remind me that my feelings are a lie. The truth is, no matter how hard we toil on earth, it is God who establishes our steps. If God is not in what we are doing, it is meaningless. So here are some steps that we can take to combat this feeling of not doing enough.
Put First Things First
For people that feel that they need to always be productive, sometimes even doing busywork that is not even important can satisfy that feeling. One of the most famous authors on personal growth Stephen Covey put it best “To put first things first” in His book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Putting first things first means being able to prioritize the most important tasks. There are many things that demand our attention throughout the day, that distract us. And instead of focusing on the task at hand, we try to multitask. Multitasking then can get us started on too many projects, no matter how unimportant it is for the day.
According to an article published in the Huffington Post, the human brain can only take in up to 45 minutes of information before it starts decreasing its ability to take in any more. Many companies are now following this method by programming their worker’s computers to shut down every 45 minutes. Since you have a short window, focus all your most important tasks on that span. And give yourself grace that what you have accomplished during that time is enough for the hour.
Reflect On Your Purpose
Your biggest obstacle to a happy, healthy life can be yourself. Whether it was because of the way you were raised or the fear of being left behind, people that are always on the go crave purpose. While having a purpose and working hard are not faults on their own, too much can make you lose your priorities. Think about why you are working so hard? Are you working for the benefit of others? Is it to give your families a life you never had or to give value to the people that you’re providing goods or services for?
If you’re only in it for yourself, there will always be an emptiness. Know that you can only give your best to others when you are at your best. When you run yourself to the ground to constantly do, do, do, you can miss out on so many things that you cannot go back to. Time only moves forward, your youth is not something you can buy back. Especially if you are a parent, you cannot turn back time to spend quality moments with your children. Parents who overwork, neglecting their families for the sake of working for them, can breed resentment and strain relationships. Read here if you struggle with forgiving your parents.
God has created you to be full of a purposeful life. Work can only be meaningful when it serves to better the lives of others. That purpose is not only to work and to do. There is a time for rest, just as the Lord Himself rested on the seventh day.
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. - Genesis 2:2 (NIV)
Focus On What You Want Most Over Your Feelings Now
If you have read the Book of Luke in the Bible, we meet Martha and Mary. Mary, as you will read. was by the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. Meanwhile, Martha busied herself with all the preparations.
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But all the preparations that had to be made distracted Martha. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha’, the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’ - Luke 10:38-42 (NIV)
Imagine if we were Martha, who was being like how we are now, while our Lord was in the same room. Jesus’s life was soon to be taken. That may have been only some of the few times that Martha and Mary had the king of Kings in their home. Would you not want to drop everything like Mary and listen to what Jesus had to say?
Or would you continue to be like Martha, missing out on the most important moments in your life? Think about what it is that you want the most? Is it time with your loved ones? Time to make memories, time to have fellowship with others? Focus on what you want the most instead of the nagging voice that tells you that you’re not doing enough.
Meditate On Who’s Really In Control
Doers tend to do with a false sense of control. We tend to do all that we do to feel like we somehow have control over lives. The truth is, as the Bible tells us tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. - Proverbs 27:1 (ESV)
The course of our lives, including how long we will live is not for the most part in our control. Yes, we can rashly do things to shorten our lives today. However, the outcome of things we do and do not do is up to the Lord. How can we feel that we’re not doing enough today when our tomorrow is not even promised? We need to remember who’s in control of our lives. The constant feeling of not doing enough is still just a feeling, it is not the truth. The truth is, God is on the throne, fulfilling his purpose. His purpose will stand, whether we are doing enough or not.
Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.’
From the east I summon a bird of prey;
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
what I have planned, that I will do.
- Isaiah 46:9-11 (NIV)
Let Us Pray
Heavenly Father, thank You for your word that abolishes all the false feelings that I carry like a burden. I struggle with the constant feeling of not doing enough as if what I do alone is what brings my life good things. Lord, redirect my heart to You. Help me to seek your face when my feelings overwhelm me. Remind me of Your words to free me with the truth that my feelings are not in control, In Jesus’s name. Amen