Whenever someone asks how I’m doing, my go-to response is: “Good, but busy.”
It slips out before I even think about it — like a verbal eye roll at my own life.
But lately, I’ve started wondering: what does that actually mean?
Was I “busy” with family and home life? Was I “busy” doing meaningful work? Or was I just letting “busy” take up space in the conversation — an easy answer that sounds fine, but says nothing?
When I looked closer, I realized “busy” had become my default defense mechanism.
It’s polite. It’s vague. It signals competence without inviting questions.
But it also keeps me from being honest — even with myself.
Because when I actually wrote down what was filling my days, I saw the truth:
I wasn’t busy achieving. I was busy managing.
Managing the house, the inbox, the meetings, the mental tabs.
That’s when it hit me: “busy” isn’t informative — it’s a blur.
🔌 Unplugged Truth
Busyness has become the modern humblebrag — a socially acceptable way to say “I’m valuable.”
We equate being in motion with being important.
But the truth is, motion doesn’t always equal momentum.
Most of us are overbooked and underfulfilled — measuring our worth in tasks completed rather than the impact we create.
The job of leadership (and honestly, adulthood) is to take that space back and fill it with something that actually moves you forward.
That means:
Choosing fewer things and finishing them.
Creating clarity, not just alignment.
Measuring what gets done — not what stays in motion.
Because “busy” is just what happens when we forget to choose.
🧯 Sh*t That Helped
✅ The “Done List.”
Every Friday, I list what I actually finished — not what I worked on. It’s humbling, but wildly clarifying. Progress hides in the completions.
📝 The 5-Minute Pause.
Before adding anything new to my to-do list, I ask: Is this moving something forward, or just keeping me in motion? Pausing also prevents my reflective “I’ll take care of it” response.
☎️ The “Good, but…” Reframe.
Next time someone asks how you’re doing, skip “good, but busy.” Share something specific instead. It’s not oversharing — it’s being real.
☕️ The Refill
A few reads, ideas, and random gems I’ve been loving lately — pour yourself a cup and dig in.
🎧 Nostalgia Hit: Outkast’s “Stankonia” and Curb Your Enthusiasm both turned 25 this month. Cue the existential crisis — and the throwback playlist. Here’s what else hit 25 this year.
🥣 Recipe Win: Made this broccoli cheddar soup that was so good, my 4-year-old ate broccoli. Major mom victory.
🧩 Tiny Brain Break: Connections Game — because sometimes solving color-coded word puzzles is the only problem I want to deal with today.
🖊️ Closing Thought
Busyness will always expand to fill the space you give it.
But progress — real, grounded, meaningful progress — requires contraction. It’s about choosing what deserves your energy and letting the rest go.
The people I admire most aren’t the busiest ones. They’re the ones with room to think, to breathe, to be present.
So maybe next time someone asks how you are, you’ll skip the autopilot answer.
Because “busy” isn’t the vibe anymore.
Balanced is.
So tell me, what are you watching, reading, or doing for yourself?
Until next time, thanks for reading.
Dina