Stacks of Tasks and Their Urgency
- Details
- Written by Leo Babauta

Someone I know said they returned from a meditation retreat fired up by the meaningful possibilities they'd imagined there—new endeavours, chances, and significant things they wanted to accomplish.
So incredible to be excited about meaningful possibilities!
And then they got home, and there were piles of tasks, emails and messages waiting for them. The urgency of those piles threw them off their best intentions.
The urgency of piles throws off all of our best laid plans.
We have to deal with piles all the time:
- Tasks piling up on our todo lists
- Emails and messages that pile up in our inboxes
- Papers pile up on our desks, documents pile up on our computer desktop
- Tabs pile up in the browser
- Chores and errands pile up, phone calls we need to make, things that need to be fixed or cleaned
- Clutter piles up all over our homes
These piles of tasks, messages, errands, chores … they feel urgent. We can’t seem to ignore them in favor of what’s most important, because they come with an anxiety that makes us want to fix whatever’s calling for our attention the most.
Sometimes we ignore the urgent piles, but that doesn’t make the feeling of urgency or anxiety go away … it only makes it worse. It’s like trying to bury our heads in the sand and pretend the problem isn’t there — it’s still calling to us, but we put our fingers in our ears and hum loudly in hopes of drowning out the urgency of piles.
There’s nothing wrong with this tendency to want to either tackle the piles or ignore them. There’s nothing wrong with the urgency or anxiety of these piles. But what if we could create a new relationship to them?
What if the piles are opportunities to serve, to love, to play? Would we feel less anxious and urgent about these opportunities to play? The piles don’t have to say anything about our adequacy or inadequacy … they’re just playgrounds.
Or they could be seen as a garden — we want to tend to these little sprouts with care, but they aren’t a forest fire that we need to urgently deal with. Bring our love and care, but not urgently.
With this new relationship to our piles, we can also turn our attention to something that’s deeper. A project that is meaningful, a place to bring our hearts and our curiosity. We can bring our deepest intentions of meditation, reflection, expression. We can deepen our relationships, and spend time with those we love without the urgency of the piles calling to us from our phones.
What would you like to do with your days, if you didn’t have to feel the urgency of the piles?
© 2022 crystalwind.ca. All rights reserved.
Liked this article? Dive deeper into personal growth and wellness! Check out CrystalWind.ca for spiritual wisdom or explore AromaWorx.ca for natural well-being tips. Spread the positivity—share this with friends on their happiness journey!
Let’s Chat! Drop Your Thoughts Below!
Latest Articles
Dive into the Mystical World of the Crystal Wind Oracle Deck!
Get All the Enchanting Details Now!
NEW Expanded Boxed Edition!
Now with 58 Cards for Richer Wisdom!
Imagine a world of inspiration and healing, free for all—made possible by YOU!
Donate Now—Ignite the Magic at CrystalWind.ca!
Epilepsy - Finding A Cure
Your donation can make a difference!
Help us find a cure – donate now!
Unlock Your Light: Join Lightworkers Worldwide on CrystalWind.ca!
Quake Watch
Follow Us!
Who is Online Now
We have 41784 guests and no members online
Featured This Month
The Time of No Time: Beltane!
Around the medicine wheel of life we go, from season to season (solstice to ... Read more
Sun in Taurus
Sun in Taurus April 21 through May 21 An Overview of Sun Sign Characteristi... Read more
The Seven Chakras and their Meanings
If you could imagine chakras as circles of energy, flowing all the way throu... Read more
The Crystal Wind Oracle Card Deck
The Crystal Wind Oracle™ The Crystal Wind Oracle Myth & Magic Card D... Read more
Taurus Mythology
The Taurus Myth The story of Taurus is most vividly tied to the tale of Zeu... Read more
Frogs Return Moon
Beaver – Chrysocolla - Blue Camas – Blue April 20 – May 20 The Frogs Retur... Read more
Cartomancy - Fortune Telling Using Playing C…
Cartomancy is the act of divining using cards. Divining means to find out by... Read more
Bright Beltane Blessings!
The wheel turns to Beltane, also known as May Day, ushering in summer in the... Read more