Every young pro can probably relate to this HBR article: "The Busyness Trap"...

"You don't have to go from manically busy to a state of Buddha-like contemplation, nor should you. As a driven, ambitious professional, you're not going to be happy or productive if you aren't engaged in meaningful work tasks. The goal here is to escape the busyness trap, and you can do so if you just learn to manage the behaviors that make you frantic rather than eliminate them."

 Personally, I find myself feeling like I must multi-task at all-times thereby giving no one effort my complete attention. And, duh, everything suffers a little as a result.

How do you force yourself to slow down when that just feels plain unnatural?

I recent read a blurb that a woman and her best friend give each other "permission" instead of gifts for special occasions. Permission to do nothing for a whole weekend. Permission to say no (to anything) twice in one week. Permission to make a big purchase. Sounds kinda desperate, but let's face it, I'm not gonna give myself permission to do these things. I just do them and feel guilt later that nullifies the whole thing. And no I'm not Catholic. Sometimes you just need a little accountability, even if the goal is to be less productive than usual. Permission sounds like a great gift to me. That and a double bottle of cab.

My 26th birthday is coming up next week. So who's gonna give me permission?