What would happen if you decide to tell others the truth about your priority choices? Here’s the challenge. The next time you feel the need to apologetically tell someone that you “got busy” and could not respond to them or meet with them force yourself to say to them “it was not a priority for me.” That’s harsh, but it is the truth behind the words “I got busy” or some other iteration of that phrase.
After all, being “busy” is about what you choose to make a priority. If you could not meet with someone it is because you could not or did not make that a priority for some reason. Or perhaps the topic of the meeting or phone call was not a priority. Or, perhaps you are just not good at prioritizing and that is the reason you always seem “busy.”
If you start forcing yourself to say “this is not a priority for me” or “this is a priority for me” when evaluating what is filing your schedule, you will start thinking about things differently. The generic “busy” is an easy scapegoat for not facing your true priorities.
Don’t be caught saying you are too busy. Start prioritizing and just clearly communicate those priorities and act on those priorities. You will find an amazing bonus – you will start spending more time with those people most important to your life.
“The bottom line is, when people are crystal clear about the most important priorities of the organization and team they work with and prioritized their work around those top priorities, not only are they many times more productive, they discover they have the time they need to have a whole life.” – Steven Covey
