Busy, Busy, Busy…

by. Anthony Demangone

The world is busy.  We’re all so busy.  Ask anyone how their day is, and you’ll often get the following response:

My hair is on fire!  Or, I’m slammed.

An article I read last week (Harvard Business Review) makes a counter-intuitive point in this “I’m so busy” world.  Please, please, please…stop telling everyone how busy you are. 

So much of this is about out-doing each other. To say that “I’m busier than you are” means I’m more important, or that my time is more valuable, or that I am “winning” at some never-finished rat race to Inbox Zero. (Inbox Zero is another absurd contest to tackle at another time.) What you’re trying to say with these responses is: I’m busier, more in-demand, more successful.

Here’s the thing: it’s harming how we communicate, connect, and interact. Everyone is busy, in different sorts of ways. Maybe you have lots of clients, or are starting a new business, or are taking care of a newborn. The point is this: with limited time and unlimited demands on that time, it’s easy to fill your plate with activities constantly. But this doesn’t mean that you should.

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