Creative Chaos #33

When ‘Busy’ Became My Favorite Excuse

For years, I hid behind the word busy.

Busy meant important. Busy meant progress. Busy meant I didn’t have to face the work that scared me.

Then one day, a client asked, “You’re always busy — but with what, exactly?”
I didn’t have an answer.

That silence hit harder than any missed deal.

1) Busy hides avoidance

I realized I wasn’t busy — I was avoiding. I filled my calendar with noise because the real work (the one that mattered) had no clear map or guaranteed applause.

2) Schedule courage, not comfort

Now, I block one hour every morning labeled “hard work.”
It’s the thing I’ve been putting off — the awkward conversation, the overdue product decision, the uncomfortable truth.

3) Protect white space

The biggest shift wasn’t adding hours — it was keeping some empty. Empty hours let you think. And thinking is the one task most “busy” people never schedule.

4) Track output, not effort

Nobody gets rewarded for exhaustion. Track what actually moved something forward. Everything else is background noise disguised as effort.

One Move for Today

Open your calendar and find the longest block of meetings or filler tasks. Cancel one. Use that time to do the one thing that’s been sitting in the back of your head — the one that actually matters.

Closing Thought

Busy feels productive. But progress is quiet — and usually uncomfortable.
If you’re always busy, ask yourself: What am I avoiding by staying this way?

– Tom