Nowadays, it almost seems to be a desirable lifestyle to have time for nothing and to be constantly busy. To be close to a burn-out has become fashionable since it somehow suggests that one needs to deal with a thousand issues and must be very important.

We have all experienced the situation where you could not get an answer from a person for weeks, and when they finally get back to you, they find a lot of time justifying how busy and irreplaceable they are, instead of just quickly answering the question. There is no doubt that there are always exceptions and unexpected situations that may arise, where indeed one is too occupied. Nevertheless, if "so busy" becomes a moment that lasts for years, than there is almost certainly room for improvement on different levels. What people often do not realise is that by repeatedly communicating the fact that they are stressed and have no time, many customers and potential business partners may be turned away. If you really have a lot of responsibility or if you are in a decision-making position, people will believe and trust you much more if they see that you are balanced, rather than on the edge of what's doable.

People who are constantly not reachable for days, can't return e-mails, or find the time to call back, are simply not on top of their game, and while such a person is thinking of working very hard, his whole effort might be highly counter-productive since he does not take care of such fundamental business rules.

In such situations, it is best to just stop for the moment. Sometime one has to say "no" to new projects. Is there really nobody else that can handle this issue? Of course, thinking that nobody else can do it, is an ego-flattering thought, but seldom true. Could it be that the business concept is wrong in the first place? If that is the case, no matter how much one works, the return for the invested time will not come. It is also possible that it is just about the right use of communication technology. For example, just the fact that people travel does not mean that it makes them out of reach. Internet is almost always somewhere available and with the right tools one can reach and talk to anyone, anywhere, for little cost. Excuses such as "The hotel had no Internet...", only shows that the person is not able to plan ahead and ask the right questions before making a reservation.

So as strange as it may sound, it is much easier to become successful in business, being not "so busy"...

Best Regards
Andrzej Wojtas (Ph.D.), Chief Editor of MFN, E-mail: andrzej@mfn.li

Author: Andrzej Wojtas