Beyond Busy: Why Doing LESS Might Be Your Smartest Career Move Yet
Sayeed Ahmed
CEO at Bayside Analytix, a tech-focused development consulting organization. Promotes sustainability and wellbeing at work.
Are you a young professional caught in the whirlwind of the modern workplace? The pressure to hustle is almost deafening, glorifying the grind and equating busyness with success.
But what if the key to truly thriving – boosting creativity, sharpening decision-making, and elevating performance – isn't about pushing harder but strategically doing less?
It sounds counterintuitive, especially in a culture that rewards relentless effort. We believe more hours equate to more output, and success is proportional to sweat. However, this pursuit of “more” is unsustainable and counterproductive.
Our brains aren’t wired for non-stop productivity. Think of your brain as a muscle needing rest to rebuild and operate optimally. Just like athletes need rest days, so do our minds.
The Myth of the Hustle and the Science of Rest
The notion that “busier is better” needs to be challenged, especially with what science says. Research across cognitive neuroscience, performance psychology, and ultradian rhythms reveals a powerful truth: peak performance is often achieved by strategically doing less.
Consider ultradian rhythms: natural 90-120-minute cycles followed by 20-30 minute dips. Ignoring these leads to diminished concentration and burnout. Embracing them means working intensely in peak periods and consciously taking breaks — stepping away, walking, or letting minds wander.
Furthermore, cognitive neuroscience highlights rest's importance for creativity and decision-making. Brains engage in memory consolidation, background problem-solving, and creative incubation during downtime. Breakthrough ideas often emerge during these moments of “doing nothing.” Constant pushing deprives the brain of this processing, stifling innovation and effective problem-solving.
Subtraction Thinking: Less is More in a World of Overload
Beyond strategic rest, “subtraction thinking” is crucial. In an information-rich world, eliminating the non-essential becomes a superpower.
Subtraction thinking is simplifying, decluttering, and focusing on what truly matters. Ask yourself:
It’s saying “no” to non-priority items, streamlining processes, automating repetitive tasks, and focusing on the vital few, not the trivial many. Decluttering your physical workspace improves focus. By subtracting tasks and distractions, mentally decluttering creates mental clarity, reduces overwhelm, and frees up bandwidth for creativity and focused execution.
Practical Steps to Work Smarter, Not Harder
How can we integrate strategic rest and subtraction thinking?
It's Time to Redefine Success
Redefine success beyond busyness. Move from glorifying hustle to a smarter, sustainable approach. You invest in long-term performance, creativity, and well-being by strategically resting and subtracting.
Work smarter, not just harder. Sometimes, being smarter means consciously doing less. Your brain, career, and well-being will thank you.
International Environmental, Health and Safety, and Social Specialist
1 天前Sayeed, This is more common than we think. 21 Years ago, I ended a 2-year spell of unemployment. Since that time, I was accepting all proposals and project positions offered to me, which normally panned out to my schedule. However, in 2020 COVID came, projects and my contracts were cancelled or postponed, and other opportunities I submitted applications, because of the COVID restrictions being an unknown factor. Since 2023/2023 - I did become overloaded and it cause issues of time available, quality of work and almost 'burnout'! Your points, especially the "Practical Steps..." are particularly required to put in practice. However, the ease of saying "no" to the impact of various, unrelated clients is a difficult task and is often not able to be done. On the other hand, and as a topic you may wish to consider for this discussion page in my field, is that the donors and Government clients have their internal reporting systems that relies on our submissions, to make them look good and reemploy us in future. The demands always come at the same time - monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually. This is where no is oftentimes not an option and causes significant issues.
Sr.Quantity Surveyor
4 天前Great advice, insightful