I’ve stopped doing something recently. I’ve stopped telling people how busy I am. I’ve stopped bragging about being busy.

The truth is, we’re all busy. I mean, I’m sure there are some people that don’t fill their cups all the way to the top, and spend some of the day feeling a lack of meaning or importance. But most of us are busy. Being busy isn’t unique to you.

It’s not a word I want to describe myself, because it serves a negative connotation. It suggests that I don’t have time for the people or things that I care about. The things that add value to my life. In reality, the people and things that I care about are the reason I’m busy.

I’m never too busy for my close friends, my work, or even to run or write. But I’m always too busy for the things that are not “hell yes’s”. It’s the meetings outside of my class with current or former students. Meetings at work that take away from the main mission and goals. I really don’t like meetings. Perhaps more importantly to note, it’s even the maintenance tasks to daily life that so clearly deserve attention but feel less meaningful in the grand scheme.

I love living a “busy” life, but I’m never too busy for the things that I care about. I went for a three-hour run today. I can’t possibly say I’m “too busy to clean my room.” Especially not, when declaring myself as busy to other people can so easily suggest that I don’t have time for anyone or anything.

We always have time for the people and things we care about. We always have time for the things we make an active priority in our lives. The things that we don’t have time for are the things that are not a priority to us.

Sometimes we think about all the other things we’d like to do in our lives and then lament that we “don’t have time.” Truth is, if you add one more thing to your plate, something else is going to take that sacrifice. Something else in your life isn’t going to get the attention it maybe once had, or maybe deserves.

Any time I’m adding new things to my life, I’m always carefully identifying how it fits into the grand scheme. This is easy for me to do, since I’ve established the four key areas of my life that I want to focus my attention toward. The four key things I want to prioritize and emphasize within my life above others.

SEE: How to identify where you want to go in life

Knowing this, I can then carefully add more to the list, or take away as necessary. But not being able to add something to that list is never a matter of “not having enough time.” It’s always a matter of not having the desire to make that thing a priority. It’s a matter of wanting to prioritize other things.

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So before you say that you don’t have time, carefully think about whether it’s truly a matter of time. Or, if it’s about prioritization instead. You always have enough time for the things that you care about. If you can then work to identify the key areas of your life that deserve the bulk of your attention, you will feel less guilty for not taking on additional tasks that aren’t worth your time, and feel a greater sense of purpose toward your priorities.

Thanks for reading and see you soon.