I’m always asking clients and prospective clients have you done this or done that like you said you would.

Ready to start the project? Looked at that proposal? Thought about your positioning or lacklustre marketing efforts? Written that content yet? Read what I sent you? … etc

And often the answer is that old chestnut, “Sorry but I’ve been too busy”.

I always think to myself, “too busy” doing what?

All human beings have one thing in common, we all have 24 hours in a day and within reason, we all have the choice on how we spend that 24 hours.

My thoughts are that I’m never actually “too busy” to do anything.

I choose what I am going to do every day, no one tells me what I must do and even if they did, I still have the choice not to do it.

Sorry, but I don’t buy the old “I’ve been too busy” chestnut, you just chose to do something else instead.

What I’m going to spend most of my time doing this year is working on something that will benefit me, and hopefully you, and make us both a lot of money. That’s the plan anyway.

Note the words WORKING ON.

I’m working on the business; my clients might not like to think so, but that’s more important to me than working in the business. I’ll do both, but I’ll never allow myself to be “too busy” working in it.

I can hear the rumblings now – “great for you but not possible for me”. Of course it is but you’ll never be “not too busy” if you don’t do the working on bit, and “too busy“ will end up being your lot in life.

And before you know it, it will be next year.

Spend the time now on the things that will make you less “busy” in the future.

“Too busy” can also signal that you’re not making enough money or charging enough to give you the time to be “not too busy”.

It’s a vicious cycle, how do I know? Because I used to always be “too busy”.

But here I am today with enough time to write this blog article, workshop a new marketing initiative, and over the next 3 months produce it, and take it to market so I can become even “less busy”.

An old boss of mine once told me, “Jim the best and smartest managers work themselves out of a job”.

Success in my eyes is being able to do the things you want to do when you want to do them – no point making more money if you’re a slave to the machine.

And don’t forget – work always expands to fill the time available – so reduce the time you’re available for the “busy” stuff and either don’t do it or get someone else to.

That’s what I’m working on. What will you be working on this year, so that you don’t have to tell me the next time I ask (and I will) “Sorry Jim I’ve been too busy”?