FCP S2E7 - Is Being Busy a Sign of Success? Or Failure?

Have you ever found yourself caught up in the trap of automatically responding with "busy" whenever someone asks how you are doing or what's going on in your life?

We have, and we're tired of the scripted nature of this conversation.

It seems as if no one is actually asking these questions to find out a genuine answer. Instead, these have become part of a standard and scripted greeting.

Plus, whenever you say "busy" as you answer, it always prompts the person to tell you that it is a good thing because it equals success.

But, we're here to tell you that being busy isn't the same as being productive or being successful. In fact, we've come to believe that it's actually a negative thing.

That's why the topic of our podcast this week is how you can stop being busy and break free of the idea that it is the same as being successful.

Why "Busy" Doesn't Equal Success

As we said before, being busy is NOT the same as being productive or being successful. And yet, may people proudly share how "busy" they are all the time when talking with friends and family or posting on social media. Because of the positive reactions of our friends when we share our busyness, it's become a big trap to feel like you always have to be busy in order to be successful.

But the truth is that when we're too busy, we are actually being less productive. We aren't able to focus on the task at hand, and we might end up multi-tasking. There are even times when being busy can lead to things slipping through the cracks, being forgotten, or being rushed, resulting in poor quality.

This is a big issue at work and at home. You don't want to be so busy that you lose track of things at work or in your business if you're self-employed. Nor do you want to carry that mindset over to your home and your family. If you've ever been on the other side of someone who's too "busy" to pay attention to you during a meal, activity, or conversation, you know how annoying, frustrating, and even hurtful it can be.

How to Stop Wearing "Busy" as a Badge of Honor

So, how can we stop wearing "busy" as a badge of honor when friends and family ask about our lives? On the show, we joked that it would be a good experiment to tell people how things are REALLY going when they ask us in a scripted greeting. But in all reality, the best way to stop wearing busy as a bade of honor is to stop over-scheduling ourselves, stop saying we're busy, and break the idea that it's a good thing. Here are a few ideas for how you can begin implementing this in your life:

Don't say you're "busy" when people ask how you are doing. Use a different word choice and strive for authenticity. If you do answer that way, remind people that there is such a thing as "too busy" when they praise you for it or suggest that being busy is a sign of success. Schedule down-time for yourself so you have time to not be busy on a regular basis. Learn your values and stick to them when you are asked to commit to something that you don't want to do or don't have time to do.

Once you put these things into practice, you'll truly see that being constantly busy and stressed is not a good way to live your life over the long-term.

In this episode we discuss: 1:15 - Why we always say we're "busy" when people ask how we are doing 2:00 - Why busy isn't really a good thing 5:00 - Making a mental shift to recognize that it isn't a badge of honor 7:15 - The difference between busy and productive 14:50 - Do we ever get sucked in to saying yes so we can seem busy? 19:15 - What do you value spending your time on? 20:40 - Finding meaning outside of busyness 22:15 - When your hobby becomes your job 30:07 - Finding an identity outside of work Related Links to Check Out: What it Means to Live Authentically Getting into the Practice of Gratitude The Importance of Defining Your Values Parkinson's law about work Essentialism by Greg McKeown You can also listen to the audio book for FREE with a 30 day trial of Audible.com! Chonce's new hobby: Latch hook

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