I hate to use the title of this post. I thought it was creative and unique, but I decided to google it to see if anyone had used it before. Of course, one of my favorite organizations which happens to be local to Atlanta used it in a post 5+ years ago!
Jeff Shinabarger wrote a post with the same title Busy is the New Fine in march of 2011! I guess I missed this post at the time, but it is one of those things that has been weighing me down recently.
Everyone asks, “How are you doing?”
I’m Fine
My every time response (with a quick sigh and closing of eyes) “Busy.” I’ll often remark about the fact that I see the light at the end of the tunnel… If I can just get through this week… I’m gonna get caught up this weekend… I’ll have that script to you today… That task is next on my list… I’m Juggling… Where’s that Intern?
These are all responses that are mentioned in the same breath as being Busy.
And, that is the truth. I am busy. I am horrible at saying no. I don’t delegate tasks like I should. I haven’t figured out how to assemble a team around me. These are things that I am working on and getting better at, but I’ve fallen into this mindset that I need to be able to do every task that lands on my plate. Perhaps I rationalize that the budget may not be there otherwise for me to do what needs to be done, so I’ll just throw a few more/a lot more hours at the problem and “save” that expense that would have happened if I delegated the task.
And I go at it alone.
Ugh
Jeff wrote in his article, about the fact that busyness can conflict with community and relationships. This is so true. I will get to work in the morning and plugin my headphones. Figure out what genre of music will help me through the day and engage with my todo list. 2 or 3 hours later when I finally get up from the desk, I’ve accomplished a lot, but I’ve been alone while doing it. I haven’t had a chance to collaborate on potential alternatives to the task at hand. There is/was no team to celebrate wins. Feedback doesn’t get filed away as much as it should for future similar projects.
Don’t get me wrong. I am proud of the work I do. I celebrate when I see obvious signs of conversion happening due to the work that I’ve done. I can look back over the years and see where I’ve grown and become more efficient at what I do, but I think my growth (especially in design) is additional ammunition to my busyness. I think, “This is something that I should know or learn, so I need to press on and do the work myself so that I can improve in this area and become efficient.”
There’s no answer to this post. I’m not even sure what the question is. All I know is that I need to figure out how to change my mindset when folks ask how I’m doing.
People joke that “fine” is an “F” word. That’s got some truth to it. “Busy” can be just as bad when used as a response every time.
I guess I could change “Busy” to “Blessed.” I genuinely LOVE what I do. I enjoy small businesses whether it is my day job managing the marketing strategy of Howard Brothers, or it is my evening job creating marketing strategy for small businesses.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24
