🧶 Why I Crochet When I’m the Busiest I’ve Ever Been

We were all told the same thing growing up: Work hard and you’ll succeed.Push. Hustle. Stay late. Sacrifice now, rest later.

But what if that model is broken?

I recently read an article in VegOut that hit me right in the gut. It talked about how the traditional idea of “work hard and you’ll succeed” no longer works for a generation trying to stay afloat in a completely different economic and emotional reality. The author suggests what we’re starting to feel in our bones: that productivity and pressure aren’t the same thing. That hustle doesn’t always lead to wholeness. And that success isn’t just what you achieve—but how you live.

I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately—especially as I’ve found myself reaching for my crochet hook more than ever.

Here’s the strange part: I’m busier than I’ve ever been. I have deadlines. Projects. Plans. Big dreams taking shape. So why am I crocheting?

At first, I worried it might be procrastination. But it doesn’t feel like that. It feels like peace. Like clarity. Like my brain finally breathing.

Crocheting—like writing—frees up a different kind of thinking. It lets my body move while my mind rests. It slows time just enough for my deeper wisdom to catch up with me. And when I return to my desk or open my notebook again, I find I’m not behind—I’m aligned.

The old model told me I had to earn rest. That “real work” happens at a desk. But I’m starting to believe the real work is learning how to live in a way that supports the fullness of my mind, body, and spirit. Creativity doesn’t thrive in panic. Ideas don’t bloom in burnout. And clarity? Clarity often shows up in the quiet.

So if you’ve been feeling the urge to do something gentle—knit, garden, take a long walk, scribble in a journal—maybe it’s not a distraction. Maybe it’s the medicine.

Not everything that helps you move forward looks like work. And not everything that slows you down is holding you back.

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✨ Try This Today: Take 15 minutes and do something creative with no “goal” attached. See what happens when you stop pushing and start listening.

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Namaste!

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