In this brief monologue, speaker Shanli Liu, CPA, CTP, explains that chronic busyness stems from weak personal boundaries and over‑commitment. She argues that saying "yes" to everything fuels a perpetual sense of being busy, and that developing the discipline to say "no" is essential. By establishing clear boundaries, individuals can create margin in their lives, allowing space for rest and focus rather than constant pressure.
If you are always trying to push yourself at work, you're always giving yourself more to do, that is your, your fuel to propel yourself forward. And what I have found, that busy is fueled by weak boundaries, meaning the people that are the most busy are typically the people who are the most overcommitted. They say yes to every single thing. It is a discipline to say no. It is never easy for anybody unless those who've practiced it so much that it becomes second nature. But if you don't create some type of margin in your life, it's never going to happen. How do you create margin? By having boundaries.
