So what’s your default response when someone asks you “How’s it going?”

So, I began to wonder if I was the only one this bothered and did a little searching. I found a great article on Lifehacker by Janet Choi called How to Escape the Cult of “Busy”. It starts out:

People who often say they’re “too busy” or “crazy busy” sound like buzzing busy signals. And when you start sounding like an appliance, it makes it hard to connect with you.

I couldn’t agree more.

So if you’re like me and find yourself falling into the habit of replying “Busy” when someone asks “How’s it going?”,  take some time to evaluate whether you’re just making excuses for something else. If you truly have let yourself become too busy,  then find out why. Because being too busy is a problem and will stand in the way of simplifying your life.

You may want to use one of my favorite tools for getting to the root of the problem. It’s called “The Five Whys”.

When I’ve used the 5 Whys to get to the root cause of why I’m not getting work done, more often than not it comes down to one root cause…FACEBOOK!

OK, so back to the Five Whys. Now, despite the name “Five Whys”, you’re not limited to 5 nor do you do you have to go 5 whys deep in order to find your root cause. Five is simply the typical number of times it takes to get to that root cause.

Further, The Five Whys doesn’t “solve” your problem, it simply identifies it.  In my experience the best way to solve problems are to

1-Identify the problem

2- Determine whether the situation fits in with your long term goals

3- Decide/commit to eliminating the problem, and what action to take

4- Take action

These 4 steps sound alot like the OODA Loop we talked about back in Episode 16

Another great resource for making yourself less busy is an article titled The Power of Saying No by some gal named Vanessa Hayes over at a site called Get Simplifized.

In that post, the author (our very own Vanessa Hayes) writes:  Saying NO can have a profound impact on your life:

Vanessa also shared some tips for taking back your time back in Episode 18, so folks can re-listen to that episode as well.

For the past month, we’ve been out of town on business and vacation. And while it’s been great and we’ve had a lot of fun this summer, it’s time to get ready for back to school….especially since our kids will be starting school in just a couple of weeks! So with back to school season in full swing,  I thought I’d share a few tips with you on how to make the transition from the easy breezy summer to the busy busy school season a little bit easier.

Here are a few tips (as usual…in no real particular order):

1. Sort through last year’s clothes to determine what new clothing items your children will need.

2. Take inventory of school supplies you already have. Then make a list and stick to it!

3.  Check your mailers for back to school sales.

4.  Attend the parent, student and teacher conference.

5. Coordinate carpooling with other neighborhood parents.

6. Set up after school care and plan for sick days, snow days and holidays.

7.  Visit the pediatrician to ensure vaccinations and physicals are completed and up to date.

8. Create a mini command center to keep track of calendars, schedules and other to-do things for the kids and family.

9.  Establish morning and nighttime routines for your children.

10. Before school starts, find out about your kid’s school lunch program.

11. Get a copy of the school menu and make a habit of checking it at least weekly or every night.

12. Set up routine payments to the school.

13. If paying by cash on a daily basis, establish a routine of making sure your kids get their lunch money.

14. Store the cash in a cute wallet or other creative container like a wrist wallet or zippered armband.

15. Packed Lunches: The key to planning lunches is to, well…plan!  So…just a few additional tips on packing lunches:

16.  Establish rules for doing homework, using the computer and watching television.

17. Get the kids in the habit of waking up and going to bed early about 1-2 weeks before school starts.

18.  Think Safety…Safety…Safety.  If your children walk to school, ride their bikes or ride the bus, it’s imperative that you keep their safety in mind.

19.  Talk with your children about school and get them pumped up!

Dan’s Thing: Finally tapping into the personal hotspot function on our iPhones!

Vanessa’s Thing: Officially Becoming a CPO®

Support Charity Water Through Your Amazon.com Purchases

Google Drive Tutorial

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Do The Work by Steven Pressfield

Adam Baker’s Steven Pressfield Interview

Lifehacker Article by Janet Choi

The Power of Saying No by Vanessa Hayes

The OODA Loop Episode (SLT 018)

Taking Back Your Time Episode (SLT 016)

Some Products Vanessa Recommends for “Back to School”

Lunch Containers

Lunch Boxes

Cute Wallet

Wrist Wallet

Zippered Armband

If you haven’t already, please be sure to go to iTunes to subscribe to the show. Don’t forget to leave us a rating & review! Thanks!

Photo courtesy of andreasfeusi.ch