Intentional Doing vs. Doing to Prove or Fill Time
I’ve noticed a theme coming up this week: we can easily get consumed with doing. Tasks, helping others, worrying, ticking off the to-do list, or even trying to squeeze in all the “good things” we’re told are healthy—our days can get filled with activity. For some, this comes from the pleasure of being productive. For others, it’s the fear that unless they do as much as possible each day, they’re falling short. Either way, when “doing” runs the show, the long-term result is often burnout. Burnout isn’t the same as being tired. It's when momentum is gone, like your legs are cut out from under you. It can look like major fatigue, depression, or a deep sense of malaise. Think of burnout like your phone battery. At 20%, the phone starts conserving energy—non-essential systems get dialed back. Your body does the same: immune function, digestion, and higher thinking all get downgraded so you can just keep running. - If you recharge, things come back online quickly. - If you ignore the signals and push through, your body dips into the “red zone”—headaches, colds, reflux, constipation, pain. - Keep ignoring? One day the system just shuts down, like your phone suddenly going dark. - And just like a phone battery that’s run down too many times, your body won’t bounce back as easily. It takes longer to recharge and never quite holds energy the way it used to. So here’s the invitation: Do you know your signals? Do you listen or ignore them? How do you recharge? 👉 Drop your reflections on these three awareness questions in the comments.