The Importance of Being ‘Un-Busy’

Modern life as a business owner can be hectic, stressful and overall, busy. Cramming every waking moment with meetings, tasks and deadlines can seem like the only path to success and it can become addictive. Here, Business Coach and Vistage Chair, Chris Everard, explains how busy-ness has become an unwelcome lifestyle and how to tackle it for better business success.

“The status of being busy has slowly come to outweigh our results; if a business owner has a packed diary of ‘very important’ events and meetings, we automatically believe they must be leading a fantastically productive, successful and happy life both at work and at home. As with most things – don’t judge a book by its cover; being constantly busy can increase anxiety, decrease creativity, be emotionally draining and lead to burn outs. People often keep themselves over-busy to escape the reality of issues at work or at home that need addressing, which can drastically stunt business growth.

“As business owners, we need to stop, stand back and ‘un-busy’ ourselves. After all, the ultimate success is having as much control as possible over our own lives.”

“Delegation is key. Business owners and execs often believe their business will only prosper if they are at the coalface – as the saying goes: “if you want something done properly, do it yourself” – it can be hard to let go of certain responsibilities and tasks that we’ve worked so hard at. But your time is precious and investing in help is essential to free up some hours and importantly, some head space. With this, comes new room to look at your business from a different perspective, inject new ideas and regain your creativity to help your business reach that next level. 

“Learn to say no. We often feel obligated to attend certain events, arrange irrelevant meetings or over-service clients which can in turn, lead to profit losses. Most of us fall into a trap of over promising and under delivering because we have been unable to say no. With every invitation or request, ask yourself “Will this benefit me or my business” and set boundaries for yourself. For example – will I meet prospective clients? Will I gain greater understanding of a topic or business sector of value to me? Will this meeting benefit a new or existing relationship? By managing the expectations of customers and contacts and using positive language, we can work on our own terms, manage our own time and be respected for it. 

“With more time comes the power to deal with challenges and troubles in a clear-minded and calm way. It will have a huge effect on your personal and professional life. As the idea of workplace wellbeing and stress management gains new impetus, which will only gather momentum throughout 2019, becoming ‘un-busy’ is the new work/life balance. So, practice doing nothing, rid yourself of the guilt, become proactive and enjoy the benefits.”