Sometimes the Bucket is Full
Alternative title: Busy != Best, part 2.
Continuing from the previous post, where I stated that it is deemed to have a full calendar over an efficient one.
Some people will look at my calendar and decide I can or need to attend xyz meeting. You know, because I have time and I’m allegedly not busy.
What most people forget is that perhaps the bucket is full. We have finite resources when it comes to time and mental and emotional capacity.
Sure, I have time free to attend your meeting. However, don’t expect me to be mentally or emotionally invested in it. This is not only for work related meetings, but it could also be for events we are invited to on a personal level.
There could be a hundred reasons for me not being fully invested in anything. Being physically, mentally, or emotionally overwhelmed by what I already have in my bucket, or on my schedule could potentially not leave a lot of space for any more.
It is all the things that make us human. These human traits are often deemed undesirable in a corporate setting. Often enough even other humans will want us to put these things aside to deal with whatever they need to offload.
Maybe potentially don’t vent at someone unless you know this person is available for you. Your bucket may be full, but theirs could be similarly close to overflowing. They could be doing everything to hold it together and appear to be okay. They could be anything but okay.
The other thing that people tend to forget is that “No” is a complete answer. If you ask if I can or want to do something and I say no, that’s it. No further explanations are required. However, we are often required to qualify why we are declining anything. It’s no because I can’t, or won’t, or have zero interest.