When someone asks how you are, don’t answer “Busy,” it just reinforces your feeling of being squeezed and often turns into a busier-than-thou competition – ugh! You list all the things you have been doing, your friend then feels compelled to chime in with everything that he or she has been doing, each of you half-complaining, half-boasting. This is not a contest that either of you should want to win. Even worse than that, describing yourself as “busy” puts up a wall.
The implicit message is, “Don’t ask anything of me; don’t take up too much of my time.” Is that what you want to be telling your friends or colleagues? Why not instead behave as if you had all the time in the world? Answer with a door-opener, something new in your life, and then ask a real question about what’s new for them, and really listen. Take time to connect, and you will feel your sense of time expanding.
