Photo Courtesy of Kate Ter Haar

The first step to fixing any problem is to identify exactly what the problem is.  Have you ever had someone ask you to do something and your first response is “I’m busy!” yet they haven’t even told you what it is they were wanting?  It became a problem for you and you don’t even have the full request.

‘Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth.’

Sherlock Holmes

-The Sign of Four

Anytime you feel like something is a problem take a breath before responding.  Figure out exactly what the core issue is.  As above, the core issue is you don’t have any free time.  If take a minute and respond calmly to find out what they want and you decide you need to provide assistance then your problem is not that they asked something of you but you need to find where you can put it in your day.  Now you can work on the problem.

As Sherlock Holmes said, eliminate all other factors to get to your real problem and then you can begin to work on it.  Until then you are playing a game with a perception.  Go search for truth detective.