Is “Busy” Good?

When I bump into people I haven’t seen in awhile, they almost always ask, “Are you busy?” This presumes that “busy” is good. A better question might be, “Are you productive?” But no one asks that. And anyway, who would want to say, “No, I’m not productive”?

I’ve come up with a response I’m comfortable with: “I’m as busy as I want to be. And you?”

Busy. What does that mean? Most people I know are too “busy.” They overload their schedules. They pack too much in. They rush about, running late, barely able to keep up.

That’s not how I want to live. And I don’t. That is one of the joys of being self-employed.

But sometimes my boss doesn’t give me my paycheck on time!

She must be too busy.