A lighthearted, practical guide for how to find a bit of calm during seasons of life when you simply can’t not be busy, from Rachelle Crawford, the author of Messy Minimalism.

How nice it would be to clear the calendar—to just stop doing so much stuff. Except kids get sick and the work project awaits and elderly relatives need care. No matter how well you hack it, manage it, slice or dice or delegate it: in some seasons of life, busyness is a given.

The solution, writes Rachelle Crawford in How to Be Busy, is not to merely declutter your calendar or unsubscribe from the busy life. Because busyness can’t always be avoided. Because being in relationship with and caring for others means that some seasons of life are packed. Because sometimes, no matter how many times you say no, you’re still swamped.

The trick lies in learning how to be busy. With her signature warmth and laugh-out-loud transparency, Crawford offers sensible pivots and simple practices. You can practice under-committing, learn the fine art of saying no, bubble-wrap your busy seasons, establish a busy protocol, and learn how to eliminate digital distractions. Here are tough-love tips for unhurrying your busy days, ideas for giving a gift to your future stressed-out self, strategies for identifying the season in which you are living, and end-of-chapter tips for how to be busy well.