The True Meaning of “I Don’t Have Time” and “I Don’t Know”

Every time you say “I don’t have time I’m busy”, it’s not that you don’t really have time. It just means it’s not your priority right now.

You can test it yourself.

Imagine you’re being invited to a party — scheduled next Friday.

If you’re hesitating, it’s likely that you already have a plan next Friday. And it’s impossible to reschedule it! So you decline the invitation.

But is it really impossible?

Now let’s say the invitation isn’t a party, but having coffee with a good friend whom you haven’t met for years and there’s no other chance that you’d meet again in the near future.

Who is this friend? Someone who has helped you in the past. But you have no idea that he/she will be visiting your city next Friday — and that’s the only time.

You’re still probably hesitating, but it’s likely you’re considering it as well. And now you’re thinking about rescheduling your other appointments. You say to yourself that those appointments aren’t that important — there are more things that matter. “Meeting this friend is now a priority.”

Yes, this is just an example and it may not happen to every person. But you get the idea.

Point is:

We make time for the things that truly matter to us.

And you might be surprised that this is the same with “I don’t know…”

It’s probably true you don’t know about it. But the implication is: You don’t really care about it.

And if you don’t care about it, it’s unlikely that you’ll spend enough time researching, learning, and understanding it.

The things you know are the things you care about. The things you are willing to spend your time and energy are the things that truly matter to you.

Finally you combine all your excuses: I don’t know. I don’t have time I’m busy (which translates to: I don’t care. It’s not my priority).

I can relate how hard to be honest to every person you meet — you can’t just say the truth, in most situations. But at least, try to be honest with yourself. Self-awareness makes a huge difference.