4 things you’re really saying when you say, “I’m busy”

Tom Harper June 20, 2023

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

In today's fast-moving world, where busyness is glorified, effective leaders have a unique opportunity to stand out by avoiding the trap of constantly saying, "I'm busy."

While the phrase is usually meant to sound important or easily answer the question, "How are you doing?" without really saying how you're doing, the phrase is not only overused—it's often misused. And saying, "I'm busy" all the time is saying something about your leadership. Let's look at 4 things people may be hearing.

#1 "I'm not focused."

When you seem to always be busy, you're revealing just how much you lack focus. Strong leaders are organized and focused. If you get off track for a time, you jump back on asap. You don't live life "busy" all the time.

Sure, it can seem like a daily struggle to stay focused, but it's not impossible. You don't have to run around feeling frazzled and busy all the time. Make time on your calendar to get alone, focus, and plan your day. Do this daily. This one task will help you get more focused on what matters; and it'll save you a few flustered replies of, "I'm busy!"

#2 "I forgot my goals."

Leaders who find themselves consistently overwhelmed with busyness may indicate a lack of clear goals. Think about it: if you're clear on your goals, it assumes you have your priorities down. You're then open to being effective day to day. Without knowing your goals, you may yourself simply going through the motions.

Where is your energy going? Do you know? If you have clear goals, you will be more inclined to point your energy toward what is meaningful. Take time to clearly define your mission, vision, and strategy. Trust me, the more you feel like you're doing meaningful things, the less "busy" you'll feel.

#3 "I can't delegate."

Strong leaders know the importance of delegating to others. If you're running around feeling frantic, those around you will notice. And, they'll notice, over time, that you aren't delegating and may even feel like you don't trust them. It's not easy to notice this as a leader. So, it's best to learn early and often to offload tasks to your team.

Delegating well will not only make you less busy, but it'll also provide your team growth opportunities. Before you busy yourself with yet another task, consider how you might be losing an opportunity to help a team member develop into a leader. Guard time in your day to evaluate tasks and prioritize based on your goals.

#4 "I'm overwhelmed."

This is the last thing you want to say as a leader. Instead, work to take ownership of your role and make the necessary time to do what's vital for your church or business. Your time should not feel frantic; rather, you should feel like you're doing things on purpose.

Whether you're conducting an interview or scheduling that next meeting, if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, don't stay there. Assess where you feel overwhelmed and do what you can to address it.

Maybe you need a new strategy or need to get clear on the other things we've talked about in this article. But, the point is, get your bearings and find your confidence through planning and committing to actions that will have you fighting against overwhelm.

One last thing. The world is busy. Basically, "I'm busy" is the world's mantra. It sounds impressive to be busy all the time.

As a biblical leader, you're calling isn't to be busy but instead to live on purpose, doing the things God desires. Be the leader who shows those around you an ability to focus, to hold clear goals, to delegate well, and to fight overwhelm.

Don't walk around busy all the time. Instead, seek God and His purposes, because His ways are always clear rather than confusing, focused rather than unfocused, calm rather than chaos.

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

Tom Harper is publisher of BiblicalLeadership.com and executive chairman of Networld Media Group, a business-to-business publisher and event producer. He has written five books, including Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership (DeepWater Books, 2019) as well as the Christian business fable Through Colored Glasses and its sequel Inner Threat (DeepWater, 2022). Learn More »

• When preaching solutions, do these two things first (by Mark MacDonald)
• How smartphones have been used toward a torrent of cyberbullying (by Thom Rainer)
• How to bless before you blame in a conflict at work (by Jordan Raynor)
• How to combine passion and discipline for leadership impact (by Scott Cochrane)

Free eBook

Steps to Launching Your Personal Workplace Ministry

Have you ever felt the pull to full-time ministry work as a missionary or pastor? If not, you can still make a Kingdom impact without quitting your current job. In this eBook, you will learn the four essentials that can change your perspective of work, your workplace, and most importantly, your heart.

Download Now