Getting Beyond Busy
Let me say this right out of the gate... I've used the "I'm so busy" excuse more times than I can remember.
I used to run around crying about how busy I was to anyone who would listen - and even a few times to those who wouldn't!
But the truth is, I started realizing that everytime I'd say I was busy, I was tearing down my own self-confidence.
That's right.
Every time I used the I'm so busy excuse, I felt less confident about my ability to get my job done.
Why?
Because deep down, I knew that being too busy is caused by the inability to prioritize.
Everytime I said I was too busy, or felt overwhelmed and taken over by my to-do list, I knew I was failing to prioritize my day properly, and this "over-busy" feeling is simply the RESULT, not the cause.
I realized that if I'm going to make it in this world, I need to set two very important rules in my life.
1- If you say YES to everything, you have no focus. You must learn to say NO to some things, even if that means losing the deal or passing it on to others.
and
2 - Some things simply will not get done, so prioritize your day so that -at the very least - the most important things get done, and the least important risk falling through the cracks.
Now, I do want to make something clear... I still say I'm very busy, but with purpose and intent, no longer as an excuse.
For example, if I'm working and someone tries to interrupt me that I really don't feel like talking to at that moment, I'll often interrupt them and say I'm sorry I'm just swamped at the moment and can't talk.
But as a personal excuse for lack of productivity... those days are gone.
I was getting addicted to saying I'm too busy as a cop-out for missing deadlines, for dropping balls, and often as a cover for the fact that I was struggling to get something done.
I challenge you to drop the "I'm too busy" and face the facts...
- You're insecure about your ability to get the job done.
or
- You're unfocussed and unorganized.
or
- You suck at prioritizing and spend too much time posting inspirational quotes on Facebook with the caption "THIS" as a way to make yourself feel better without actually doing the work.
or
- You have no clue what's important in your life and need to take some time to decide who you are, where you want to go, and what's going to help you get there.
You're not too busy, you're simply not focused.
Stop being a shotgun, spraying your energy everywhere, and start being a sniper, zonning in on one powerful activity.
You are an incredible human being, immensely powerful beyond belief, but even the sun needs to be magnified to burn a piece of wood.
It's time you focus, and GROW.
To your success,
Al
PS - Confession: I didn't overcome this on my own... I hired a Tony Robbins coach, at over $10K a pop, to work through this. I'm not adding many of the skills I learned into my own coaching program, details soon. (and no, not even close to 10K LOL)
Alain (Al) Blais - We help businesses build a winning strategy and arm them with the marketing tactics to build a powerful brand backed by raving fans for life.
CEO of RYS Group, Alain Blais is an entrepreneur, published author, family man and competitive dirt bike racer. He's deeply passionate about growing businesses and excels in marketing and promotion. Alain regularly consults for small to medium sized businesses, start ups and independent sales professionals. Al believes in constant and never ending improvement and is always seeking to optimize and improve his current skills, systems and businesses as well as seek out new opportunities and ventures. For consulting, partnerships and speaking engagements, you can contact Alain at [email protected]
Alain Blais
Head Marketing Maestro at RYS Marketing Agency
1191 Lansing Ave, Unit 1
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
P3A 4C4
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.rysmarketing.com
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"Marketing is the difference between mediocrity and millions" - Jay Abraham
"The most dependable and consistent way to generate wealth is to turn good marketing into profit." - Alain Blais