“Why I Don’t Want to Be Busy Anymore”
A reflection on family schedules, intentional living, and
redefining ambition in motherhood.
Sometimes the life we’re trying to build slowly starts to build itself around us.
And one day you look up and realize it’s moving faster than you want it to.
I’ve been rethinking what it actually means to build a life that feels full without feeling overwhelmed.
Redefining Ambition
I’ve noticed something.
When I ask someone, “How have you been?” the answer is almost always the same:
“Busy.”
And I’ll be honest, that word used to trigger me.
Not because anything is wrong with being busy, but because it quietly made me feel like I wasn’t doing enough.
Over time I realized that reaction was about me, not them.
Because the truth is:
I don’t want to be busy.
Do I want to be productive? Yes.
Do I want to feel accomplished? Of course.
Do I want my children and my family to thrive and experience life? Absolutely.
But busy for the sake of being busy?
No.
And I never want this to come across as shaming people whose lives genuinely are full and fast-paced. Every family has different needs and realities.
But in our home, I started realizing something:
Too much was burning us out.
My oldest son using our Charcoal Calendar.
Our lighter schedule for March 2026 on our Light Gray Calendar.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the pace of family life. It feels like so many of us are trying to balance work, parenting, activities, and everything else that comes with raising kids. Somewhere along the way, “being busy” became the default setting for a lot of families, and I’ve started asking myself whether that’s actually the life I want to build.
For a while, I packed my oldest son's schedule.
Three activities in a week. Some meeting multiple times.
At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing.
I wanted him to explore interests, make friends, and stay engaged. I thought structure and activity would help him grow.
But over time, I started noticing something:
He was exhausted.
And honestly… so was I.
Some Saturdays, we were rushing from a soccer game straight to his youth mentorship group, and he absolutely hated it.
It made me pause and rethink everything.
Me and my kids on a swan boat on a random Saturday :)
Right now both of my kids have two recurring activities, and it feels like a rhythm that really works for us.
One of the biggest gifts is that one of those activities happens at the same place and time, even though they’re in different classes. With a six-year age gap between them, that overlap feels like a big win.
My oldest is doing ninja classes, and he’s part of a youth mentorship program that meets once a month during the second half of the year. My youngest is currently doing swim lessons and ninja.
It feels like a really balanced mix for where they are right now.
And every family finds their own rhythm. Some kids thrive with packed schedules. Some seasons require it. There’s no one right way to structure family life.
But for us, I’ve realized that a little more breathing room makes a big difference.
Instead of outsourcing every experience, I’ve started noticing how many of those moments we can create ourselves.
If I want my kids to learn to cook, we can cook dinner together.
If I want them to explore creativity, we pull out art supplies or work on projects around the house.
If we need fresh air, we go outside.
We recently got a dog, and I’m looking forward to building a rhythm of Saturday morning hikes with the kids. My boys are both Tauruses, and while not everything is about astrology, I do think time in nature helps ground all of us.
The goal isn’t to remove activity from our lives.
It’s simply to build a rhythm that leaves room for the things that matter most.
And honestly, that realization is part of why I created Calendar Clings in the first place.
I needed a way to visually organize our month without feeling like our lives had to be crammed full to look “productive.” The goal was always to look at each calendar square with intention.
The Hustle Culture We’re Swimming In
In Human Design, my son and I are both Projectors.
Projectors aren’t built for constant output and nonstop activity. We need space to rest, observe, and recharge.
Meanwhile about 70–80% of people are Generators, who naturally have more sustainable energy for doing and producing.
When you think about it, it makes sense why hustle culture dominates the world we live in — especially in America where productivity often feels tied to our worth.
So when I see people embracing slower living, softness, or more intentional pacing, it resonates deeply with me.
Because that’s exactly the season I’m in.
Designing a Life That Supports That Pace
This mindset is shaping other parts of my life too.
For years I worked in corporate video production, and while I’m currently interviewing for a part-time role that feels like a good fit, I know I don’t want my life structured around a traditional 9-to-5 anymore.
I want flexibility.
I want presence with my kids.
I want space to build things creatively.
That’s part of why I started furniture flipping.
It started as a hobby, but I genuinely enjoy working with my hands and creating something tangible after years of digital work as a video editor.
It makes money, yes.
But more importantly, it feels creative and alive.
And I’m realizing that protecting my creativity matters more to me than constantly performing.
Me restoring an old teacher’s desk from the 1950’s.
I’ve even rethought how I show up online.
I used to think that if I wanted to build something meaningful, I needed to post multiple times a week.
But that pace doesn’t feel sustainable for me.
So my new rule is simple:
One post per week.
If I want to share more, I can.
But one thoughtful post each week gives me consistency without pressure.
And that feels right.
The Season I’m In
Right now my core themes are simplicity and focus.
Not forever. Just for this season.
Less rushing.
More intention.
More presence.
More space to breathe.
Because when life isn’t crammed with obligations, something interesting happens:
There’s room to be spontaneous.
Room to rest.
Room to notice what actually matters.
And that kind of clarity helps me feel grounded in who I really am.
So the next time someone tells me they’ve been busy, I hope I can simply think:
“That’s great for them.”
But for me, ambition looks different right now.
I’m learning that:
• Busyness isn’t proof of growth
• Space isn’t laziness
• Intentional pacing is still ambitious
• Slow seasons aren’t stagnant seasons
• I can build quietly without shrinking
Right now, ambition looks like:
Slower mornings.
Furniture projects in my garage.
Art fairs and bike rides with my kids.
If you're also craving a slower, more intentional rhythm, the tools I create at Moore Likely are designed to support that kind of life: calendars, journals, and visual planning tools that help you focus on what actually matters.
But more than anything, this season is about building a life I don’t feel the need to escape from.
And honestly?
That feels exactly right.