Being Busy
"How are you?" "Busy."
How many of you have either received or given that answer?
The thought is that if we are busy, we must be important. Or at least be doing important things, right?
We’d like to think so, I’m sure.
Busy Equals Good?
So why do we equate busy with good? I think it is because being busy feeds our egos. If se are busy, we are in demand. That means we are good at what we are doing. It also gives the impression that the busy person is working on big things, and has put the trivial aside.
But I have to wonder about that. When I’m busy, I am often not working on the important stuff, but rather the little tasks that pile up. These give me a lot of satisfaction to check off, just from the volume. Unfortunately, I am rushing to clear out all the stuff that probably doesn’t have to be done at all. When I tell people I am busy, that sends a warning flag to myself that I am not managing my time properly.
Am I Being Busy The Right Way?
Busy also means I’m not taking time for reflection. Being productive means that you have to be effective, and that means doing the right tasks. If we are busy, we are probably not taking adequate time to asses the tasks we are doing for their effectiveness…but rather taking the next task off the list and plowing forward without much thought as to its appropriateness or relevancy.
"Busy" to me isn’t a badge of honor. It’s a badge of poor planning or a need to be important.