Are there times in your business when you have more and less work to do? Sure. You might even have a "busy" season and a “slow” season.
That's not really a big deal if you know how to plan for it. But all too often, I hear business owners and salespeople talk about being "busy" as the reason they can't do something
When I hear that, I ask one simple question: Is there any of that that isn't good busy?
There's a huge difference between good busy and bad busy. Good busy is energizing. It's the result of success in your business, and it often leads to more success.
But bad busy? That's the result of poor planning, poor scheduling, poor communication—any number of things, but none of them good.
I probe a bit at that point in the conversation. Are they working on things they shouldn't be working on? Do they need to delegate? Do they need to hire an assistant? Do they need an outside perspective to help them figure out weak spots and places to improve?
Busy is often an excuse that people use to get out of doing things that they don't think is worth their time. Or they say they're busy so that other people will think they're important. But what they often forget is that busy isn't the same as productive.
If you can get done in six hours something that will take someone else ten, you're more productive. Even if that other person is busier.
Busy is also a defense mechanism that people use. Be on the lookout for this when you're meeting with prospects. See what you can discover about why they're busy. Is it good busy, or is it bad busy? Can you offer something that might be helpful to them? That might be your product or service, but it might be a useful referral or introduction. Keep an eye out for those things.
Don't forget to take stock of your calendar as well. Are you doing things that are important to you? Are those things getting replaced by something else? Are you good busy or bad busy?

Find ways to eliminate, delegate, or get more efficient at the things on your calendar that aren't important to you. That will help you become more productive when it comes to doing the things that really matter to you.
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