How to Respond When He Says He’s Busy?

Perhaps during your first date or first conversation, sparks really flew. But was it the same thing with him? How to respond when he says he’s busy? 

When a guy says he is busy, gently say goodbye and do something different. If a guy says he is busy, he is either actually busy or not really interested in being with you at the moment. Trying to get him interested will only result in getting him even more disinterested.

Getting a rude response from you will only annoy him. When he says he’s busy, he simply means that he has no time for you right now.

Men’s logic when it comes to relationships and romance is quite simple. They see it in black and white. If I want a woman, I will really go after her. But if I don’t, I won’t have the urge to see or even talk to her. I am simply not interested in her right now. To most men, it is as simple as that.

Read on to learn more about what it means when a guy says he’s busy, how you can respond, and more importantly, how you can win him over.

How to Respond When He Says He’s Busy

When a guy says he is busy, accept it, say goodbye and do something different. If a guy says he is busy, he is either actually busy or not really interested in being with you at the moment.

If you are interested in the guy, your response to his “busy” excuse will greatly impact whether your relationship will continue or stop. In other words, you have to make the right response to make him more interested in you. How to respond when a guy says he is busy? Below are different ways to respond to his “busy” excuses:

1. You Texted and Asked Him, “What’s Up?” and He Answered Five Hours Later Saying, “Just Watching a Game”

Why did he reply after five hours of your text? Perhaps, he is really busy, distracted, in a class, at work, or out on the road driving. He could also be taking his own sweet time and trying to tell you that he has better things to do than conversing with you. Or maybe he is playing games with you.

The right approach to this situation is not to send a follow-up message, such as “Are you there?” or “Hello?” Just ignore the delay. Don’t humiliate yourself further by sending follow-up messages. And when he replies, promptly respond to his reply. Don’t exact your revenge by also replying five hours later.

2. He Is so Busy That He Can’t Make a Commitment

He might give you the following busy excuse: “I’ll let you know,” “I haven’t decided yet,” or “I might be going.” All of these excuses can mean he is indecisive. Also, it could mean that he is not interested in you.

Perhaps your guy is waiting for another girl whom he likes better and has plans to date her. But if that opportunity fails to materialize, then he will think about you.

The proper response to this kind of guy is to try to make him commit. You can be assertive and say: “What else have you planned for tonight?” Or you can do it gently and say, “Please let me know when you have figured it out.”

This assertive approach is the best way to get him to commit. If you’re not up to that, you can use the gentle approach. And if he still can’t give you a definite answer, you are wasting your time with this guy–even if he’s your crush.

3. He Says He Is So Busy Tonight Because of Too Much Work

The guy you are interested in says that he has too much work on his plate and can’t be with you tonight. So you won’t get hurt, he says, “Maybe next week.” Again, if he is really interested, no kind of work can prevent him from seeing you–unless it is an emergency.

The correct way to respond to this kind of guy is to be straightforward. What you can say is this: “Okay, I am free on Tuesday and Friday. Which day will work for you?” You are helping him decide by giving him options.

If he is really interested in you, he will choose the day that would work best for him. However, if he is not interested, he will give another excuse so that he can get off the hook. In that case, turn your interest to another guy.

how to respond when a guy says he is busy

4. You Texted Him, and He Just Replied with a One-worded Answer

Your guy has texted you a one-worded message like “K,” “Good,” or “Cool.” What happened to his language?

There are three reasons why suddenly, the guy you have been texting with complete messages turns into an inarticulate person. He might be quite stressed out at the moment, he could also be terribly busy, or he doesn’t really care for you that much.

What’s the proper response to this kind of guy? If it’s the first time you received this kind of message or reply from him, don’t give him a hasty evaluation. He really might be too preoccupied at the moment.

Send him another message, maybe an hour or two later, and see how he will respond. If he can recover his faculties, he will send you a complete worded message. There is hope that your relationship with him will grow. However, if he still sends another one-word reply, you have to take the hint. He is really not interested at this time.

5. He Says He Is Busy but Sends You a Booty-call Text

The guy you are interested in seems busy answering your messages. However, he sends you a booty-call text late at night or in the wee hours. His message could be like, “U up?” at 1:00 a.m. Other texts from him could also be “You back yet?” at 12:40 a.m. or “Yo, what’s up?” at 10:50 p.m.

If he sends you messages like these, he is really not interested in what you are doing right now, but he wants to know if you are willing to have sex with him. But if he really wants to develop a serious relationship with you, he won’t send you these kinds of messages.

How do you respond to this joker? You simply don’t respond to his messages. If you do, you are relinquishing your control to the relationship and also to yourself. You are giving this guy control over you if you will respond to his message.

What to Reply to “Hey”?

What It Really Means If a Guy Says He Is Busy

It is easy to feel down if the man you’re interested in seems to be not so interested in you. Or, perhaps he really is interested in you but is just really busy at the moment. So, how would you know? What do the following excuses mean?

1. He Will Be Busy at Work for the Next Couple of Weeks

Translation: He is not really interested in developing a relationship with you right now.

You had an awesome time on your date with him last night. He also said he enjoyed the time with you when you texted him. However, when you asked him when he would take you out again, you got this reply. What is he thinking?

He is just being kind because he can’t directly admit that he is not really interested in you right now, but hopefully in the future. If he really wants to see you again, no matter how important his work maybe, he will find some time to be with you. And if he is really busy, he would have brought it up with you last night.

2. He Answers Your Text and Says He Is Busy

Translation: He would like to meet other girls.

You texted him, and he replied that he enjoyed getting to know you for the last couple of weeks, but he’s just busy right now. It means that he just can’t continue whatever is going on between the two of you. Perhaps, he senses that something is missing.

There’s nothing wrong with you. It is just not clicking between you two. Perhaps he is trying to look for that missing thing in other girls.

3. He Said, “What’s Up?” Weeks after What You Think Was an Awesome Date with Him

Translation: He is trying to get you interested in another date.

Three possible things may have happened to him why he abruptly shows up again after a couple of weeks.

1. Men usually get distracted by work, their hobbies, and their friends. Now that the distractions are over, he remembers the date you had with him and would like to spend time with you again.

2. He tried seeing other girls, but nothing extraordinary came about. The time he spent with you was not amazing either, but he would like to give it another try. He wants to date you again and see what will happen this time.

3. He’s just getting bored, and since you are still in his phonebook, he decided to say hello.

how to respond when he says he is busy

For how to respond when a girl says she is busy, see the article: How to Respond When a Girl Says She Is Busy?

Now that you know how to respond when he says he’s busy, let’s look at some tips on how to win him over.

How to Win a Busy Guy Over

If you want the guy to be really interested, you need to follow the tricks I will describe below.

1. Be Busy Yourself

Perhaps the reason why you are always left waiting for your man is that he is very busy, and you are not. What if you become busy yourself? If you have more things to do that you can possibly handle, you won’t be biting your nails while waiting for your boyfriend to be free.

Also, if you are interested in a guy, he might get interested in you if you share the same passion for business. You may not be in the same type of business, but he will appreciate a woman who can speak his language.

2. Let Your Guy Know That He Has Your Support

If your guy is too busy, pressuring him to give you more time will not help. Letting him know that you got his back will mean so much to him, especially if he’s dealing with lots of stress and pressure from work.

3. Show Your Support by Your Actions

It is not enough to tell him that you support him. It would be best if you walk your talk. If he cannot give you enough time because of his busyness, why not help him do his work once in a while, if it is possible and if you can. A small help will mean a lot of things to an overburdened man.

4. Don’t Show That You Are Very Interested

In the scheme of things, it’s the man who will pursue the woman. Some men still feel awkward when a woman is eagerly pursuing them. So, if you see his slight interest in you, step on your brakes. Control yourself. Let him do the pushing and not you. It’ll encourage him to be more aggressive and give you more time than you can wish for.

5. Give Your Busy Boyfriend Some Room

Keep in mind that your guy is living his own life. He has some schedules to keep and some tasks to perform. Take note of his busy schedule, and don’t even barge in unannounced. You will be able to keep him if he sees that you are respecting his private space. He will love you more for being considerate, too.

6. Listen to His ‘Busy’ Excuses

Don’t just ignore his plea for understanding. Listen to what he says. Reserve your judgment until you get the whole picture.

How to Answer “What Are You Looking For in a Relationship?”

Conclusion – How to Respond When a Guy Says He Is Busy

So, to recap, how to respond when he says he’s busy? The right way of responding is to gently say goodbye, put your phone down, and put your mind towards something else.

If a guy says he is busy, he is either actually busy or is not really interested in being with you. Trying to get him interested will only result in getting him even more disinterested.

Read next:

How to Respond When a Guy Says “Thinking About You”