Don't ever say you were BUSY if you kept ignoring messages.

Executives know that BUSY is a polite word for “low priority”.

You weren’t too busy to go to the hospital if you were ill, too busy bingeing on Netflix, or too busy with other items on your list.

Don’t be ashamed of your choices, since you don’t have to say yes to everyone and everything. Tell them it’s just not a priority.

Or say that it is a priority but you lost track of their messages and lost track of your time. If you’re under 30, most people are quite lenient about that.

I say no to stuff not because I’m too BUSY, but because I don’t want to trade that for another hour of sleep, another hour of working out, an hour with people important to me, or a business project that is important to me.

Not everything can be important. You’re never too busy for the things that matter to you.

Dennis Yu

Dennis Yu is co-author of the #1 best selling book on Amazon in social media, The Definitive Guide to TikTok Ads. He has spent a billion dollars on Facebook ads across his agencies and agencies he advises. Mr. Yu is the "million jobs" guy-- on a mission to create one million jobs via hands-on social media training, partnering with universities and professional organizations. You can find him quoted in major publications and on television such as CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NPR, and LA Times. Clients have included Nike, Red Bull, the Golden State Warriors, Ashley Furniture, Quiznos-- down to local service businesses like real estate agents and dentists. He's spoken at over 750 conferences in 20 countries, having flown over 6 million miles in the last 30 years to train up young adults and business owners. He speaks for free as long as the organization believes in the job-creation mission and covers business class travel. You can find him hiking tall mountains, eating chicken wings, and taking Kaqun oxygen baths-- likely in a city near you.

Dennis Yu