1. You sit at your desk thinking you need to go to the toilet, but keep working anyhow.
2. Your tea or coffee consistently goes cold before you’re finished drinking it.
3. Your mouth is a little dry, but your glass or bottle of water is only a hand’s reach away (drink up!).
4. You just noticed you’re holding your breath reading this (go on, take a nice long exhale, it’s soooo good).
5. You say things to yourself like “I must remember to…” or “don’t forget to…” all the time, but then never quite get around to writing it down (or doing it).
6. You scroll through Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest—and have an “ooo I need to sign up to that, and that, and that, and that” soundtrack going in your head.
7. When your work day ends you immediately start rattling off to your partner (or housemate, or dog, or cat, or houseplants) all the things “we need to get down around here”—washing, meal plans, exercise classes, sending birthday cards, fixing that drawer, repainting the ceiling…
8. When someone asks how you are, or how you have been you say, “really busy”.
9. You wake up with a start when the alarm clock goes and your heart and chest immediately feels tense.
10. You feel tears prick at the back of your eyes, or a lump form in your throat, when anyone suggests you slow down, take a break, or stop taking on so much.

Some of these are subtle and you may never have noticed them rise up. Others are more persistent and noticeable. None of them are necessary.

Fact is, being busy is exhausting. It drains our reserves, leaving little left to find creative solutions to anything troubling us, pluck up the confidence to speak up, or endeavour to move forward on those big dreams at the end of a long day.

There is a better way. One that allows you to free yourself of busy for good and still achieve all that you want.

That’s the entire focus of my new book, Freedom from Busy. I share plenty of practical strategies that you can implement immediately to get some relief from all that pressure you’ve been putting on yourself. And, instead of telling you to drop everything immediately and simply “stop” being busy—I give you the tiny, powerful, consistent steps you can keep taking that will completely transform your relationship with busy and reignite your joy.

I’ve been leaning on these tools for years, and even more so as I ramp up all the various elements that need to come together to launch my book. It’s tempting to say yes to busy, and buy into the belief that we need to be in control all the time. Ultimately, I’ve learnt that the more I soften and the more I choose to lead from a place of joy that all that stuff I’ve been so worried about gets taken care of anyhow. Plus, I get to experience more fun, ease and pleasure in my life.