So, since a few years now I am being educated to be a kick-ass marketeer / projectmanager / concept developer for the event industry. I have a big interest for electronic music culture, as I am a marketing intern at one of Amsterdam’s biggest nightclubs.
In the creative industries - from which the scene I work in is a part of - I hear people tell me and others that they are 'too busy' to meet, go out for lunch, have a drink, work on another project or even answer a simple question awfully often.
Back in the days, I was one of them to blame for the same habit. When people were politely asking me how I was doing, the first answer that came to mind was 'I am very busy', 'I am really tired of all the work I had to do' and some more of those mood-killing statements.
Well, here are some of my thoughts on this subject:
Ø If you really are convinced that you have too little time to live your loco busy life, just come out of bed an hour earlier. Or go to bed an hour later. Anyways, stop crying about it. There is always time.
Ø You are never too busy, you just choose to be busy. It really isn’t about the time you have, it’s about prioritizing. You have got just as many hours in one day as Einstein, Steve Jobs or Nelson Mandela had to achieve what you want to achieve. Get it?
Ø Saying you are ‘too busy’ or ‘stressed-out’ is not really a great conversation-starter. Really, everybody is stressed out these days. It really is a negative way to start a conversation, the only thing you are saying with something like that is that you are super important and very necessary. We all think that of ourselves, you don’t have to put it out there again.
So please, let’s start a little movement here together. How stuffed your agenda may be, how many projects you are on at the same moment and how many sport clubs you have to attend during one week, don’t say you are ‘too busy’. Just come up with something more interesting.
If someone asks you if you have got time to meet, don’t respond with ‘I am too busy’, but respond with ‘that’s not my first priority’. Let’s see how that feels.
When I stopped yelling around that I was too busy, it really helped me feeling less stressed out and besides that it automatically helped me prioritize. Just give it a try!
I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject. Is there also a ‘too busy’-culture in your country or the scene where you work in? And how do you feel about this?
All the best,
Wolter de Boer
[email protected]
Amsterdam, The Netherlands