Everyone these days seems to be “too busy” or “crazy busy.” My typical thought? “Doing what?”

When I do ask that question, the answers are usually things that could be controlled with better choices and/or better planning. 

What I’ve found is that people either feel they cannot say no or they worry that they will look like a lesser person if they aren’t busy. 

Well, all of that is bunk.

First, you do not have to say yes to everything. You cannot do everything. 

Second, busyness has nothing to do with importance. In fact, trying to do too much is incompetent. Would you want a doctor working on you who was overstretched? A doctor trying to do too much while short-changing patients is just unwise, inept, and a sign of general incompetence. 

A huge time management lesson I learned many moons ago is to set aside time to get things done, read, enjoy a walk, or do whatever. Essentially, it’s setting appointments with yourself. “At such and such time, I’m planning to do X, and nothing but an emergency will keep me from it.”

Take note, saying no to some tasks is perfectly fine, and being over-busy is incompetent, so, make regular appointments with yourself to do, well, whatever you need to do to get things done and stay sane. That’s time management. That’s responsible. That’s being competent. 

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