Are You Truly Busy, Have A Busy Mindset Or Simply Disorganized?


“Those who are wise won’t be busy, and those who are too busy can’t be wise.” 

―Lin Yutang


I have a few friends whose first response when asked how they are is “busy”.

Every… single… time... 

It may be prefaced with “good,” “great,” or perhaps even “not great,” but ”busy” is at the top of their mind when replying. What I have observed is that to me, some of these folks aren’t “busy”, but that’s because we all have our own feelings around what busy means to us. 

Some identify as busy; it’s a source of pride, a mindset. Some are busy because they have obligations they can’t shirk (this is a tough nut that hopefully will pass) or struggle using that magical two-letter word, “no”. Some are busy because of how they organize their tasks and to-dos. Some are busy because they are completely disorganized, have no idea what tasks and to-dos they have to get done, and fly by the seat of their pants. 

“Busy” is not a mindset that I have. Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed with work, but I wouldn’t call that being “busy.” I still have time to fit in most of the things I want to do; I don’t include want-tos as things that make me feel busy—boat rides with my bad-influence friendies, massages and pedicures, morning runs, parties and social events, hanging out with my family… those are not busyness, they are joyness. They create a rich, full life, not a busy one.

What does “busy” feel like to you? 

  • Why do you use the word (most of us do, so I can safely assume you say or think it)? 

  • Do you feel pride by being “busy”?

  • What is going on in life and work when you feel the need to reply as such?

  • What do you do to mitigate “busy”?

If you identify as “busy” with pride and you are an organized person, you can skip reading this email. You just got back two minutes of your busy life 😎. 

But if you want to be less busy and struggle with lists and organization, here are some ideas to tamp your busy back.

  • Organize lists of tasks and to-dos

    • Rank them in order using the Eisenhower Matrix

      • Categorize tasks into four quadrants

        • Urgent and important, 

        • Important but not urgent, 

        • Urgent but not important

        • Neither urgent nor important 

      • First, focus on getting things done that are both important and urgent, then move on to things that are important but not urgent

    • Or rank them in order using the ABCDE method

      • Categorize tasks into four levels

        • "A" for tasks that are critical and must be done

        • "B" for tasks that are important but not as critical

        • "C" for tasks that are nice to do but not necessary

        • "D" for tasks that can be delegated"E" for tasks that can be eliminated

      • Always tackle "A" tasks first, as they need immediate action and have the greatest impact on your long-term goals and deadlines

  • Use tools like to-do lists or digital planners to keep track of your priorities and adjust as needed

  • Use tools like workflow apps if there are several steps to complete tasks and to-dos or if there are several people who need to be involved in completing your tasks

    • Delegate drudge-work to technology and automation

  • Create lists with descriptions, notes, and sub-tasks

    • There are folks who will feel they have twenty things to do, but in reality, they have four or five

      • They “busy” themselves with a long list of tasks that really should be broken down into descriptions, notes, or sub-tasks

        • Ordering office supplies is one task, while what the items are notes or perhaps sub-tasks

  • Is something even a task or to-do that needs to be listed or acknowledged at all as such?

    • Rising, brushing your teeth and enjoying your morning cuppa Joe is a routine (ritual?), not something to add to your “busy” list

      • But we all know folks who add routines and rituals to their “I am busy” list

  • Deploy the two-minute tactic

    • If it will take less than two minutes to knock something off your list, do it now

      • This works best if you block your time to check emails and lists rather than having them open all day, yelling at you

        • It’s a fine line between squirrelling your day away and quickly getting stuff done efficiently

  • Decide what works for you despite all the great advice from the wise ones out there

    • Work when it works for you

      • Short spurts, long stretches, mornings, evenings, nights, weekdays, weekends… figure out your best time to get stuff done and do it then

      • Create your reminders in the manner you will address them

        • If emailing yourself random thoughts and todos is your gig; have at it

        • Lists in a spreadsheet work for you; knock yourself out

        • Love a paper planner; get writing

        • Tech nut'; have fun with the apps

  • For client work, create best practices, systems, workflows and power them with technology and automation

Now, if you want to be less busy and are organized with under-control lists, here are a few ways to tame your “busy”.

  • Be more intentional with your priorities

    • Practice the word “no”

  • Reduce digital clutter

    • Apps and files

    • I am as guilty of this as anyone, but I am working away at it in small bites rather than a wholesale deleting spree

  • Own fewer possessions

  • Communicate asynchronously through videos

    • You can get your point across quickly when it works for you, with far fewer emails and meetings

  • Delegate what you hate

    • Getting a housekeeper was a game changer for us; we waited waaaaay too long to hire this out

    • Last September, I delegated the nitty-gritty of formatting and posting my blogs/emails, and I have recently hired out my slide decks and some admin tasks

      • Game changer! 

      • I wasn’t entirely ready (who really is - sometimes you gotta just start), but it did motivate me to build better SOPs around my marketing and administration, and now it’s pretty smooth sailing 

        • If you think you don’t have processes set up to delegate, under-complicate getting going by doing videos of how you do things you want off your list

          • They don’t have to be good; just get them done as best you can and re-do them later if necessary

Busy is often glorified. Many folks feel guilty if they aren’t busy. If this is how you feel, that mindset is hard to eradicate. But if you aren’t interested in feeling “busy” as a part of your identity, starting to get organized and create meaningful lists and thoughts to mitigate your “busy” will set you on a more restful path. 

I have an entire category on my blog dedicated to efficiency, give it a read-through for more ways to reduce your busy.


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