Time is, as we say in economics, a scarce resource. It’s a very interesting resource too. Every single person in the world has exactly the same amount of time built into everyday. We all have to sleep, eat, drink, and a more arguably, get clean. But what makes people, who often seem the least busy, say they don’t have time?

My pet hate is asking somebody to do something and their reply is, “I don’t have time.” “Really,” I think but rarely say. So what about when you watched three hours of television last night and are most likely going to repeat tonight? What about that hour you spent on facebook? What about when you were sitting around all afternoon and doing nothing when school ended? Each individual will have their own additions to this and if you’re honest with yourself you know you are guilty sometimes of doing these things.

“So,” you are probably thinking, “don’t I also need time to relax and enjoy myself?” That’s a brilliant question, thanks for asking. Of course you do, but then don’t lie! When you say, “I don’t have time,” what you are really saying is, “I don’t want to do this for you because I am too lazy and self-centred. In fact I don’t really think you are important enough for me to even tell you the truth.”

Wow, I bet you never thought of that when you said it. To be honest it’s a polite way of saying, push off I’m not interested. Everybody has the same amount of time, and if you really want to do something for somebody you will ensure that – no matter the cost – you will schedule them into your day. The best is when you are relaxing at the beach with friends and they begin to talk about how busy they are and how hectic life is. Hello? You are sitting on the beach. If you were so busy I don’t think you would be here!

Next time you are about to tell somebody you are so busy, think again. There are probably people that are much busier than you. You probably don’t even know what busy means. Think about it, maybe if you spent less time telling people you are so busy you would have more time.