Don’t tell me you’re busy
When someone asks you how you are, do you answer in one of the following three ways?
I’m good!
I’m fine.
Ohhh, busy!
What do those three words really mean anyway? Not much in this context! They’re often just meaningless, but polite, space fillers.
Imagine eliminating those three words. What would you say instead? How would you respond?
Glad you asked!
You don’t want to know!
Could (couldn’t?) be better!
The one I really want to take issue with is “busy.”
When someone says “Busy,” it doesn’t mean anything. I’m tired of it. We all have the same 24 hours a day and everyone’s days are filled with something.
The difference is that the “busy” people feel frenetic during those hours. Those of you who walk around telling everyone how busy you are, think about it, make some tough choices and calm down.
There’s a big difference between a busy day and a full day. The busy day is frantic and ineffective. A full day is prioritized and productive.
You should shoot for the concept of “flow” which is a unique state of mind where productivity and creativity are at their highest. It means you are fully present and engaged in what you are doing; time melts away.
Recognize that you (and me!) are addicted to busy. We like what busy does for us.
- It gives you an excuse for poor performance.
- It gives you a way to ignore parts of your life that need attention. (ouch!)
- It gives you something to do that society seems to value.
Many people mistakenly feel that busy means important. But it really means out of control. A busy day means frenetic and often unorganized. By scheduling your days with more things than you can accomplish, you’re not taking control of your life. You’re letting chance take control and it will dictate what gets done because you refuse to prioritize.
A full day means flow bec
ause it is planned and prioritized, and since we admit we can’t do everything, we choose to devote our time to what is important to us. Full is fine. It is expected. And important people have full days, not busy days, because “important” people can’t afford to be out of control.
So, change how you talk.
Don’t ever say again that you’re busy. If this is your current response, realize that you need to say something more honest than “busy.”
Think ahead what some of your choices are:
Just finishing up on the long delayed project of clearing out the tax files.
I’ve started reading up on places to go to on our next vacation.
Currently teaching a Junior Achievement class at the high school.
When someone asks, “How have you been?”
you can have something more interesting and engaging
to say than “Busy.”
What would you say instead? How would you respond?