By Robert Blausey
Have you ever heard or used the phrase, “I’m just busy.”? Or one of my favorites is, “You just don’t know how busy I am.” I’m sure there are truly busy people out there. I would argue most people just lack self-awareness.
Let’s get some definitions (as always from Merriam-Webster):
busy adjective
\ ˈbi-zē \
busier; busiest
Definition of busy
engaged in action : OCCUPIED
She’s busy studying.
What would you do if you had just a little bit more time? What would you do if you just had a little bit more money? Probably the same thing you currently are doing with either resource. If you’re bad with your time in a 24 hour day you will probably be bad with a 28 hour day.
I saw a great article on John Hopkins Health Review (see link below) that made a ton of sense to me. The article was titled The Cult of Busy. A major premise of the article was that people like to be busy. This makes so much sense when asked people what they’re up to they say ‘I’m just busy’ or imply they are busier than you. Keeping up with the busy Jones’.
People enjoy accomplishing tasks. It gives them a sense of accomplishment. So we busy our schedule to get things done. Even if that thing if binge watching season 5 of Breaking Bad before the movie comes out. We accomplished watching all those shows! My favorite is to start my to-do list with a few things I’ve already done.
What are you really telling someone when, “I am just busy.” Aren’t we implying that the busy is more important than that spouse, friend, teammate, co-worker, human being you’re talking to? What if that person wanted to share some great news with you? You just consciously or subconsciously told them they are not worthy of your time.
I heard this from someone somewhere so I can’t take credit for it. If you’re accustomed to respond, “I’m busy” when people ask how you’re doing. Try this instead. First tell them something you just did and then follow up with something you’re looking forward to. For example. “I just rode 25 miles on my bike and I’m looking forward to relaxing and reading a book this evening.” You just opened up many more branches of conversation.
Maybe you are the person who is actually busy. The person that has their calendar booked out 18 months in advance. Odds are you’re not. Find some time for some self-reflection and gain some self-awareness. And if you’re so busy why are you wasting your time reading this?!?! You have things to keep you busy. Get back to it!!!
https://www.johnshopkinshealthreview.com/issues/spring-summer-2016/articles/the-cult-of-busy