How Busyness Is Hurting Your Spiritual Life

In this episode of Blessed + Bossed Up, Tatum kicks off the next book club series: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer. https://amzn.to/4c9jPAK

This national bestseller, with over one million copies sold, presents a compelling spiritual and emotional case against hurry and challenges the culture of busyness that defines modern life.

For ambitious women balancing business, motherhood, marriage, leadership, and personal growth, this conversation is both timely and necessary.

Although originally planning to wait until after midterms, Tatum began rereading this book sooner because she recognized subtle signs of internal hurry resurfacing in her own life. This episode is not just a book discussion—it is a personal reset and an invitation for listeners to do the same.

In this episode, she explores:

• Why high-achieving women are especially vulnerable to chronic overload
• What current research reveals about women, stress, burnout, and time poverty
• How busyness impacts cortisol levels, sleep, hormonal balance, and long-term health
• The invisible mental load many women carry daily
• The tension between ambition and contentment
• Why hurry is incompatible with love, joy, and peace
• The foundational question raised in the book: Who am I becoming?

Drawing from both the book and her own experience in therapy, Tatum also shares practical tools that help interrupt internal hurry, including:

• Creating intentional transition time between responsibilities
• Practicing single-tasking instead of multitasking
• Scheduling real lunch breaks without scrolling
• Grounding exercises to regulate the nervous system
• Pausing in moments of rush to return to presence

One of the central themes discussed in this episode is the idea that hurry is not merely a productivity issue—it is a spiritual formation issue.

As the book argues, love, joy, and peace are core characteristics of apprenticeship to Jesus. Yet all three are incompatible with a life lived in constant speed. Presence is required for love. Stillness is required for joy. Margin is required for peace.

Tatum challenges listeners to reflect deeply:

• Who are they becoming if nothing changes?
• Has hurry negatively impacted their marriage, parenting, friendships, or worship?
• Are they rushing toward a version of success they may not even like?
• Where has busyness quietly replaced intimacy with God?

This episode also addresses a sobering reality: many Christians are not in danger of renouncing their faith—but of settling for a distracted, shallow version of it.

The invitation is clear: eliminate hurry before it eliminates depth.

Listeners are encouraged to grab a copy of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry and follow along as the book club continues in the next episode.

Because building a successful life should never come at the cost of the soul.

If this episode resonates, share it with another ambitious woman who needs permission—and accountability—to slow down.

Tune in next week as the discussion continues.