3 Reasons "Busy" Often Means "Lazy"

Everyone is busy. Or at least everyone says they are busy. But the reality is most of us aren't actually busy, it's simply easier to say we are busy than admit these four things we mean when we say we are busy.

For must of us, busyness is a choice. And since it's a choice, it's something we can change. The question is whether or not we want to do something about it.

For me, it has been helpful to reframe the word busy and make it synonymous with lazy. After all, no one wants to be accused of being lazy. And if I view my busyness as laziness, I am more likely to do something about it. In what follows are three reasons why busyness often equals laziness.

1. No one can argue with "busy"

The ultimate trump card whenever someone asks you (or you ask them) to do something you don't want to do is simply to say you are busy.

In our culture today, feeling busy is one way we make ourselves feel important. Plus, it's rude to follow up when someone tells you they're busy with "busy doing what?" And so, saying we are busy can get us out of doing anything.

But we should be able to answer the "busy" question. What exactly are we busy with? It's not that we have to tell others our schedules, but by refraining to use the word busy we are training ourselves not to be lazy with our words.

Saying things like "I am not available at that time" or "I already have something on the schedule then" will certainly suffice if you cannot do something, and it helps fight against the "busyness" epidemic. Internally, we should have an answer to the question of what we have already planned to do. The more intentional we are with our time, the less busy we feel. Even planning downtime is a great idea.

Busy can be lazy because no one can argue with it. If you can't answer the question of what you are busy doing, busyness isn't the issue.

2. "Busy" is the easy excuse for not tracking your time

There are many similarities between having a budget and tracking your finances and having a budget with your time. If you don't have a budget, it's easy to assume your money is tight and any unexpected expense becomes a huge problem. This is why budgeting is so important.

In fact, here is how I budget and how you can too.

Similarly, most people feel busy because they have no idea how they spend their time and are not intentional in planning how they use it. Not only will you feel more accomplished at the end of your day, but you will also be more productive if you plan your day ahead of time.

Just like there is wisdom in having a financial budget, there is wisdom in proactively planning your time instead of living reactively to everything that happens. Planning your day ahead of time also significantly reduces the amount of overwhelm you feel.

Practically I do this in two ways. On Sunday afternoons I look over my calendar for the coming week and schedule any missing items not already there that I know I need to do. Secondly, at the end of each workday, part of my shutdown routine before I leave includes looking over my next day’s schedule and filling in any missing gaps.

We can't really say we are busy if we don't track our time, how else would we know how busy we really are?

3. Everyone has the same amount of hours in the day

Why is it that some people seem to get a lot of things done and are more productive than others? It's not because they have any more time than the rest of us.

The difference is the intentionally in which they spend their time. Interestingly, the most accomplished people I know never seem to refer to how busy they are. Yet at the same time, they have more going on than most people I know. How is that?

They know when and how they will be spending their time.

I've even found that planning my downtime also makes me feel more relaxed. Practically speaking, Christina and I plan our evenings for the coming week every Sunday (you can read more about the benefits of planning your time here) and it's a great practice we have together.

We all have the same amount of time, so being "busy" is not a sign of productivity. It's how we spend our equal allotment of time that matters.

Don't be lazy, be intentional

If you want to be in a better spot financially, you have to do the hard work of budgeting. If you want to be in a better spot in your career, you have to do the hard work of training and getting better. If you don't want to be busy lazy, do the hard work of being intentional with your time.

"Busy" may sound impressive to others, but internally we all know it means nothing. Remember, busyness is a choice, not a virtue.

Don't choose to be busy, choose to be great. Plan your time ahead of time and you can be.