You know how some people feel about the word moist? I feel that way about the word busy. I hate the word and yet, I am guilty of using it all the time. “How are you?” “Busy. Busy, but good.” That’s awful. I just told my friend exactly nothing about what’s going on in my life, or how I am. Fortunately for me, my friends haven’t yet resorted to smacking me for this terrible non-answer that can bring any conversation to a screeching halt.
But maybe they should. Busy is a buzzword these days; we Americans are sort of obsessed with it. Claiming to be busy signifies to others that we are of a high status; that we are important people.
In practice, I’ve noticed that I tend to use the word most when I’m either 1) doing a bunch of crap that I don’t enjoy or 2) so buried under my to-do list that I can’t string together a sentence. Both of those options are terrible. I can do better, and so can you.
When someone asks me how I’m doing, I’d like to start using some of these answers instead of “busy”:
- I’ve been wrapped up in a big project lately and _____________.
- I’m swamped at the office because we’ve got a big event coming up in a few weeks.
- I’m part of a new program that meets all weekend once a month, so I’m feeling a little frazzled since I didn’t get much downtime this weekend.
- I’m pretty happy; things are steady here. How are you?
- I’m slammed right now, but let’s get lunch later this week and catch up!
- I’m contemplating homicide at the moment; how are you on bail money?
I’m kidding about that last one. Want some more options? Try this article from The Muse.
In 2017, I’ll be doing my best to banish the word “busy.” Join me!
According to Aubs 