Im Too Busy - Oh Really!

If I had a dollar or even better a pound for every time I'd heard a business leader say this I'd be very rich.

I'm too busy is used in so many contexts

* I'm too busy ? I don't want to
* I'm too busy ? I'm overwhelmed
* I'm too busy ? Go Away
* I'm too busy ? I'm confused
* I'm too busy ? And you're not!

If we break that sentence down and look at each part, we can then look at ways of helping you be less busy.

I'M too busy ? with the emphasis on the I, the inference is that the centre of the busyness is you. The implication is that you need to be because you are the only person that can do all of the work that is causing you to feel busy.

I'm TOO busy ? with the emphasis on the TOO, the inference is that your busyness level is more than you can cope with. It implies that you have to cope with more work than is comfortable for you.

I'm too BUSY ? with the emphasis on the BUSY, the inference is that you have lots to do but that it might not be useful or productive work or work that you feel you should be doing.

So let's assume that's the case and the work you currently have that is causing you to be too busy, is largely made up of work you feel you shouldn't be doing, i.e. it is work that is not specifically contributing to your goals and targets.

So what's the answer?

Here is a process for you to try to Get Creative, Get Focused and Get Control

1. List all of the tasks, activities or pieces of work you currently have "to do"

2. Give each task a priority 1-5 (1 being high 5 being low) based on their relevance to your specific goals or targets

3. Give each ask a MUST, SHOULD COULD rating

a. Must ? you are accountable and responsible for its completion
b. Should ? You are accountable but not necessarily responsible i.e. you must make it happen but someone else could do it
c. Could ? You are neither accountable or responsible

4. For each must

a. set a deadline for completion and schedule it in you diary/PDA now

5. For each should

a. make a list of who else could do it and why it might be more appropriate for them to do it
b. prioritise this list

6. For each could

a. decide to do it and schedule it
b. delegate it and schedule time to hand the work over
c. discard it completely

"The key is not to prioritise what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities" Stephen R. Covey

Just because you assume you're too busy doesn't mean that you are.

You have a choice not to do something and you can choose to make different decisions about what work you do and what work you don't. If you work for someone else help them to help you by having regular discussions about you workload and what work is a Must, Should and Could for you ? don't just accept everything that comes your way.

Take control and get creative about how you think about and how you manage your workload. Your level of busyness is down to you.

©2005 Beverley Hamilton

About The Author
Beverley Hamilton is the author of Take Control of Your Time: 7 Straight Shooter Strategies for Success. To learn more, subscribe to Quickstart her free ezine and get more tips, tools and articles visit at One Step Further

NOTE: You're welcome to reprint this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered including the "about the author" information at the end.

---

7 ways To Win The Time Crunch

Are you working a "day job" while building your home-based... Read More

Could you use a ?Stop Doing? list?

One of the tried and true organization and time-management tools... Read More

Do You Over Promise and Under Deliver?

A new client recently admitted to me sheepishly that she... Read More

A Time-Saving Programming Tactic that Doesn?t Work

Let's say that you have a software project that's under... Read More

How to Find More Time in Your Day-Balancing Career and Family

Goal Planning-Achieving balance in a person's life requires assessment of... Read More

Overcome Procrastination - Discover ways to get more done in less time

So What Then Is The Opposite Of Procrastination? Urgency is... Read More

Time Management For Home Business Owners

As each day passes, and more and more things need... Read More

Time Management - Keeping a Clean Desk

I have worked with so many people over the years... Read More

How to Define a Successful Time Management Strategy

One of the most challenging aspect in life is time... Read More

7 Ways To Improve Your Life In 7 Days

Choose to be HappyHappiness is a choice. You can choose... Read More

Time Management -- Urgent vs. Important

"It's just been one of those days?I can't seem to... Read More

Delegate or Drown

Why waste your precious time working on tasks, which are... Read More

A Fatal Mistake that Can Cost You Your Business ? And More

Whether you're a new business owner or if you have... Read More

Hey, Free Agent, Did You Eat Your Breakfast Today?

And when you finally sat down to eat breakfast, was... Read More

Productivity at Home

Increased productivity, the ability to get more value for our... Read More

Time Management Tips - How to Have a Filing System That Works

Recently I was working with a new client who had... Read More

Time is on Your Side ? Manage it Wisely

How do you manage your time? Or is the more... Read More

Time Management - How To Get More Done In A Day?

Everyday, in life, we are bombarded with 101 tasks that... Read More

Let Someone Else Do It

When you decide to become self-employed, you automatically become the... Read More

Biggest Time Management Mistake

The biggest time management mistake you can ever make is... Read More

Discover Your Procrastination Personality

Determine Your Procrastination PersonalityBrook Noel is the author of The... Read More

Overcoming Procrastination

Procrastination, the habit of putting tasks off to the last... Read More

Get More Done at Your Office: Focus on These Eight Areas for Increased Productivity

Your productivity depends on good tools and effective environments, and... Read More

5 Result-Getting Time Management Tips

How often have you tried to manage your time in... Read More

Organization Tips That Add More Hours To Your Day

One of the most common complaints that small business owners... Read More

What to Do When Your Alarm Clock Doesn?t Wake You Up

Tring ? Tring the alarm rings?but did you fail to... Read More

Making the Most of Your Time

"The bad news is time flies. The good news is... Read More

10 Time-Saving Calendar & Scheduling Tips

Nowhere is the line drawn more clearly between 'Industrial brains'... Read More

Hows YOUR Productivity?

Microsoft wanted to know how individuals around the world were... Read More

Time Management is Cause Control

Recently I've experienced a barrage of time wasters. Everything you... Read More

Time Management Basics

"At my back I always hear time's winged chariot hurrying... Read More

Avoid 7 Time and Life-Robbing Mistakes and See Your Productivity Soar

41 practical and quick ways to get on top of... Read More

Measure Your Time Against Active Inactivity

We don't realize many things we do until we draw... Read More