It’s easy to think that we’re all so busy these days because of technology and the internet. It turns out people had too much to do before the internet sucked all their productivity away.
Psychology Today highlights a quote from a newspaper piece written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (author of the renowned Little House on the Prairie series), speaking in 1924 about how busy we all are:
“We are so overwhelmed with things these days that our lives are all, more or less, cluttered. I believe it is this, rather than a shortness of time, that gives us that feeling of hurry and almost of helplessness. Everyone is hurrying and usually just a little late. Notice the faces of the people who rush past on the streets or on our country roads! They nearly all have a strained, harassed look, and anyone you meet will tell you there is no time for anything anymore.”
If that sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve all felt it at some point or another. Except she felt it in the 1920s, at a time when radio was still new. While it’s possible for our current world of information overload and 50-hour workweeks to take its toll on our health, it’s worth remembering that people were tired and busy long before we got here. It’s just another reason to assess whether you’re really as busy as you think you.
Don’t Assume That Everything Is so Different These Days [Psychology Today]
Picture: Benson Kua
Comments