The Myth of Busy
There are two types of “busy.”
The first busy is where you’re actually getting shit done, engaging in the important activities in your life, and consciously doing what it takes to succeed in all areas. If that’s you, good for you!
The second type of busy is where you scramble from one activity to the next, getting crushed by your own calendar. You fail to deliver on promises you’ve made along the way. If THAT’S you, you’ve got some work to do.
For example, a person engaging in the SECOND type of busy will say something like: “Yeah, I’ll get X done by Y date”…and two days later, they’ve completely forgotten what they promised. X fell off their radar and they were too “busy” to follow through.
Next comes a litany of excuses from them, explaining why they can’t deliver.
For many of these so-called busy people, the reality is that they’re simply over-promising. They’re saying “Yes” when they should be saying “No.”
They’re using their self-created busi-ness as an excuse for their own inability to say no more often.
Simply promising less would solve most of their problems.
Why do people over-promise and say “Yes” when they should be saying “No”? Because they’ve got a massive case of Head Trash. They want others to like them and approve of them. They’re afraid of hurting others’ feelings. This is classic Head Trash at work. And it kills your sales.
The moment I stopped over-promising, I started making more money in my business. When I started deferring to “No,” I began to create more space and time to do sales-generating activities.
Michelle Lopez Boggs is a copywriter, copywriting mentor, and author of "The Anti-Marketing Manifesto: How to Sell Without Being a Sellout." She's helped her clients sell millions of dollars' worth of products and services online by using the MEI(S) principle — motivate, educate, and inspire, and sell. 