Summary: Being “Crazy” busy will make you….well…crazy. Yet, we all spend inordinate amounts of time bragging about how busy we are in a sense. If you’re not bragging about it, you’re likely talking about it or telling others or complaining about being tired. All of that is okay, but what if… just what if… your focus was on something say more helpful? If you are “crazy” busy all the time, up to your neck in alligators, busier than a one armed paper hanger, and more crazed than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs (all sayings I have personally used, mind you) then maybe these three thoughts deserve a moment of your consideration, that is if you can find the time to read and contemplate them. Prolonged “Crazy” Busy-ness will SLOW You Down Eek! Few who are crazy busy all the time want to hear the words slow down unless it is part of a fantasy they wish they could achieve. However, when you work yourself into a “tizzy” all the time eventually your body is going to tell you it needs a break and demand your attention. Eventually, you will run out of steam and find that it takes more time to do even the simplest task. Take a break when you feel the energy dissipate or you will find yourself experiencing the law of diminishing returns. Saying “Yes” to Everything Does NOT Make You Smart or More Well Liked As much as many would like to believe that saying yes is a way to gain approval, the truth is that the person who is able to discern the need for a boundary or the time to say no, due to their inability to focus full attention, actually garners more respect. Respect and likability often go hand in hand. Commit to what you can do and do what you say. Avoid the temptation to just say yes to all of it so that you look like the hero only to have to rain on someone’s parade at a later date and risk damage to the very reputation you might have been trying to improve. Being Busy is not a Badge of Honor, but an attempt to Bridge a Gap of Self Approval At one time I began a book entitled “The Busy Badge” and at the beginning of the project, my book coach quickly informed me that writing this book would require me to convince the Type A’s of the world that being busy was a problem. Um… right! Hence you’ve never seen the book, but my thoughts on the subject haven’t changed. What are we all so “busy” doing? Those Type A folks, or shall I say WE Type A folks, are often running around DOING a multitude of things because it drives them, but is the drive to do more really coming from a drive to be who they want to be or what they want others to see? Clearly a rhetorical question, but in a friendly way of reminding us that our behavior is still contagious, if you struggle with standing still and just being with yourself, might it stand to reason that others are picking up on this from you? Believe you’re awesome no matter what you’ve accomplished lately and the time to accomplish great things will likely appear before you know it. That is perhaps a bit oversimplified for the more linear thinkers, but I think you get the idea. In a time when doing more with less and one person doing the job of seemingly six people, being busy has become the norm, but with that norm also comes a few challenges. Are these challenges you face? Are these thoughts worth your time to consider? Tell us more. And oh, as a side benefit, considering these ideas before you launch into that to-do list in front of you today, may not only increase your Contagious Leadership™ of your own actions, but also improve your Contagious Confidence™ of what all you need to do to approve of you and your accomplishments today. Stay Contagious! Monica
