When to say NO to stay on track

'She is so busy because she has so many responsibilities,' I heard someone say about his boss the other day.

Really?

If she was important, she would put her well-being first.

She would spend more time with her family and friends instead of at #work.

Having time is the token of importance, not being busy.

Not to be absent from some teams because of another, or an executive meeting, or board meeting, or most meetings.

Being busy has nothing to do with making a difference and being productive.

That's a myth we keep telling ourselves and everybody else to justify our misery and unproductiveness and absence - at work and at home.

Being busy creates the illusion of being important. Makes us feel we are doing all this for a reason higher than ourselves.

That's, of course, a lie we are telling ourselves to stay sane - at least for a while.

That's why we say 'yes' to projects, opportunities, and requests that do not move us forward.

It's a lack of clarity about what matters most and what absolutely must be done to move forward and upward.

Instead, we spend most of our time in unproductive meetings with dragging PowerPoint presentations. (Don't get me started on PowerPoint).

#1 hack to stay busy when we don't have meetings: Check email.

Once sucked into our inbox, productivity is out. But at least we are busy ... important, you know.

What would change if we decided to say 'no' to busyness?

'No' always alters the conversation.

How much more could you get done?

What decisions would you make differently?

Which projects would you dump?

Whom would you let go of?

Where would you invest your time and money?

If only you said 'no' to busyness?