Can you guess what it is?
B – U – S – Y
Perhaps not what you were expecting, but that’s the one: “Busy”
The reason? We use…no, we OVER use…it to such a large degree it has become nearly void of meaning. Ask someone how their week was: “It was busy!” Ask someone how work is going: “I’m so busy!”
Busy, busy, busy. We’re all busy in our own minds, and we’ve gotten to the point where we’ve lost all sensitivity to and sympathy for the busyness of others. I don’t think most of us even empathize with other busy people because we always think we’re busier than they are. I know I am. You probably are, too.
I’ve decided that no matter how hectic or crowded my professional and personal plates get, I will no longer refer to my schedule’s condition as “busy.”
That doesn’t mean I won’t let people know if I’m unavailable to attend a meeting or work on an assignment; it just means I will choose other words to more meaningfully express my situation. Something like, “I’m sorry, but I have other commitments this week. Could we look at some alternate dates toward the end of next week?”
Saying you’re busy means nothing because “busy” is relative. We all have different tolerance levels for taking on responsibilities. Others will have a greater understanding of – and maybe even an appreciation – for your workload and schedule conflicts if you communicate your busyness in other terms.
Starting today, I hereby banish the word “busy” from my vocabulary. If you catch me using it to describe my present or future calendar’s condition, I expect you to call me out on it.
Not only will banning “busy” result in more accurate conveyance of my working availability, I expect it might also alleviate some stress. Ever notice how just thinking about how busy you are seems to push your blood pressure to the ceiling?
Unfortunately, eliminating busy from your pool of acceptable words won’t remove tasks and projects from your schedule, but I expect it could remove the propensity to think so much about how busy you are. And that could free your brain to better focus and accomplish more in less time so you’ll be less busy all the time. Here’s hoping anyway!
Another Insatiable Solopreneur™ post
By Dawn Mentzer
I view my role as more than an independent contractor for hire — I become a part of your team. You’ll find that I dig into the details to understand what’s important to you — and your customers. I embrace collaboration, communicate openly, and craft content to help you achieve your marketing and business goals. Read More...
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