Shut up Susan, You Are Not Busy

This is the move, and I feel like it’s been going on since the beginning of time. I have no facts to base that on, that’s why I said: “I feel”. But, seriously that’s how I feel. Since the beginning of time, people have been walking around stating how insanely busy they are; trying to change everyone’s perception of their lazy ass and to avoid being asked to do anything else.

I can imagine, back in the stone age, a group of people working together to find food and Thad is mucking around not helping, but making it seem like he is super busy doing something non-important. Probably talking to someone else about how busy they are doing something equally as non-important. Everyone else, doing the work knows you don’t do anything, Thad, everyone.

 

I can remember working at Home Depot, where literally wandering around aimlessly and asking people if they need help finding anything is 90% of your job responsibility, and still hearing people having conversations with their co-workers.

Those conversations, no matter where you work, ALWAYS go something like this:

Susan: “OMG, I am exhausted. I have so much on my plate right now. [Insert Manager’s Name Here], has got me doing extra work and I don’t even have time to do my regular stuff. It’s like I don’t even have a second to breath.

Jared: “Right? It’s like there’s never enough time in the day, and I already put in over 50 hours a week here. I just have so much to do and am not sure how I am going to get it done.

 

They then proceed to chat for another 15 – 20 minutes.

I am sorry.

If you have time to have conversations about how busy you are, you’re not busy.

If you have time to check to see who’s looking at your Instagram story of your selfie at your desk (guilty) talking about how busy you are, you’re not busy.

If you have time to get a new glass of water or cup of coffee every 45 minutes to interject into whatever conversation is occurring in the kitchen, you’re not busy.

If you have time to stop by Bob’s desk and give him a hard time about his crappy football team, you’re not busy.

If you have time to crush some candy during that 2:30pm – 3:30pm afternoon lull, you’re not busy.

If you have time to meet your work friends out for a “quick” 90 minute lunch at that place that’s supposed to be quick, but always takes forever to bring your food, you’re not busy!

If you have time to read this blog… YOU’RE DEFINITELY NOT BUSY.

I have been busy, busy is sitting down at your desk at 8:15am with a fresh cup of coffee and anxiety as you click CTRL+ALT+DELETE and enter in your password to reveal the mountain that you need to climb that day. It’s then looking up at the clock at 5pm, and realizing you’re going to be there until at least 7pm and because so many new things came up, while you still basically have the same tasks to do tomorrow.

I have been there. It’s a grind. It sucks.

But I certainly was not standing in the hallway talking about how busy I was, because I didn’t have time.

So, shut up, all you Susan’s and Jared’s out there in the world.

SHUT. UP.

Go back to your desk and crush some candy or have a conversation without trying to change the narrative, because no one believes that you are even remotely that busy. In fact, we just think your either lazy, incompetent, or not that good at your job (or all three).

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