Stop Telling Me How Busy You Are!

Call any business contact and ask them how they’re doing, and you almost always hear the same thing: “I’m good, but b-u-s-y.”  Our culture has gone so far as to come up with phrases around the concept…“Busy, busy, busy,” “busy as hell,” “busier than a one-handed paper hanger,” “so busy, I haven’t been to the restroom all morning.”  The list goes on… and I’ve been guilty of this for years.

Why do we insist on telling people how busy we are? Why is being busy seen as a sign of success?

The truth is, it isn’t.

“Busy” is a sign of something, but it’s not success. It’s a sign of poor planning, poor time management, poor staffing, bad culture, or inefficiency.

We’re focusing on all the wrong things. We’re not busy; we’re wasting time.

Do you feel like you’re always busy? Ask yourself why. Odds are, with some introspective insight, you’ll identify the culprit. After all, leaders of multinational conglomerates can find some flexibility in their schedules… and so should you.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, as if you are the glue holding everything together in your business, maybe you’re not as efficient as you once thought.  If that’s the case, maybe we can help. Visit us at and learn how we help our clients Simplify Their Lives, Sell More Products and Have More Fun.  (Unless, of course, you just like being busy!)

And even if you are busy, stop telling everybody! Not only are you bragging about being inefficient, you’re also telling them you don’t have time for them. They’ll feel put-off by you, and you’ll both lose.

I get it… sometimes you really don’t have time for someone. That’s fine. You can tell them you are walking into a meeting, or needing to handle a call, or working on a short deadline. But, when you begin every call by telling everyone how busy you are, you train callers to not call you. Business is built on relationships; don’t teach yours to leave you alone.

Then again, if you’re just trying to get some knucklehead off the phone because you just don’t want to talk to them; then stick with, “busy, busy, busy.”  Or, better yet, send that call to voicemail.

by David Williams | | (813) 321-1300