Busy Is Just A Buzzword …

Busy Is Just A Buzzword ...

Have you ever met someone who constantly calls on you to lament or laud the fact that he/she is perpetually busy? These individuals just never have any spare time to smell the roses, to spend time with family and friends, to take a few seconds to sit down and simply savor the fruits of their labors.

I’ve known quite a few of these people. And funnily enough, I found many of them to be the least productive people I’ve ever met, despite their constant hustling and bustling and busy buzzing.

Busy Is NOT A Badge Of Honor!

Busy is, plain and simple, a buzzword. But it’s one that needs to be retired, and fast.

Busy is often incorrectly linked to productivity. Actually, the two terms are mutually exclusive and here’s why I say that:

Busy is about bustle and bragging. How often do we hear certain individuals boasting about how very busy they happen to be?

Yet, if you actually look for the fruits of their very busy labors, you’ll find the harvest surprisingly small, the payload never delivered.

Productivity is tied to things actually happening, projects delivered, deadlines met. You know, actual shizz getting done.

When Busy Becomes An Excuse …

Ever called on someone to take part in a round-up post, a Twitter chat, or possibly an interview for your blog or podcast? Of course you have. It’s part of being connected, being influential and part of creating and maintaining our online reach.

I’m willing to be that you’ve often been turned down with the phrase, “I’m sorry, I’m just too busy to take part right now.”

Here’s the deal. We could all easily use the buzz of busy as an excuse, but it’s a cop out. All business owners, if you fine it down, are busy. We all, every day, engage in the activities entailed in the management, maintenance and growth of our brands and business.

Thus, using busy as an excuse is bogus. Entrepreneurs, business owners, managers, even the lowest of lowly underlings can, and DO, make time for tasks, projects and ideas that matter.

Thus, when you tell me you’re too “busy” to take part, rather then providing a legitimate reason for your lack of excitement when asked to be included, I can only assume my request really doesn’t matter to you. And that’s A-OK hunky dory. but I’d really rather you just bust out and say so, instead of hiding behind the cult of busy.

It’s Time To Bust The Busy Myth!

At some point, in the annals of marketing history perhaps, being “busy” must have reaped rewards and brought a bounty of benefits to those who put it to use.

Today, not so much. It’s a term that’s been used, abused and, when used today, can cause groans, grumbles and snorts of derision.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Busy is simply bluster, a bid to buoy importance. It can’t be measured with benchmarks.” quote=”Busy is simply bluster. It’s a bid to appear more bountiful, a bid to buoy clout and importance. Busy can’t be measured with benchmarks.”]

Focus too much on appearing busy and you’ll fail to take part in the activities that can actually benefit you, your business, your brand AND, especially, your paying clients!

Busy Works For Bees, Not Brands & Businesses

It’s time to realize that tossing around busy brings little benefit to your brand or business.

At best, it makes you appear a little boastful, as if you’re bragging. At worst, it can appear as if your brand and business fails to find the requests and queries of customers and peers all that important in the greater scheme of things.

Have you ever been brushed aside with the buzz and bluster of busy? How did it make you feel?

 

2 replies
  1. Erika
    Erika says:

    Very well said, Mallie! “Busy”is often used as an excuse to push people off or shine your halo. Even having the mindset of “I’m busy” is probably hurting a person’s productivity and stress levels, too. It’s the step before overwhelm, usually.

    Great post!

    • Mallie Hart
      Mallie Hart says:

      Shine your halo! Love that phrase, as it’s fantastically fitting of far too many people in our circles. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on the cult of busy, Erika.

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