The epidemic of a busy lifestyle at work

Although I have always heard – and sometimes, said – “I am too busy” when talking about work life, it was not until recently that I stopped to reflect on what this means. Being busy at work, in some ways, seems to have gained a status symbol, a measure of one's dedication and ambition.

As my initial disclaimer, I am not here to question workloads, individual situations or even defend that one should or not work at the most of capacity. In fact, I am a true advocate of using one own’s skills to the most and take on challenges to keep progressing. But I have questioned this epidemic of people being constantly busy.

Personally, I believe being overly busy is the result of individual choices. After a time of reflection, I could identify some patterns we can recurrently see in the workplace. Today I am sharing some of these situations, in the hope it can help you identify areas for improvement as well.

You are busy because you are not assertive and don't set boundaries. One of the key reasons many of us find ourselves overwhelmed with work is our inability to assertively set boundaries. We often say "yes" to every request, fearing that declining might harm our reputation or career prospects. The result? An ever-expanding to-do list that leaves us feeling perpetually busy and stretched thin.

A few years ago, I felt into this trap. I was new to working on a loss-making department and we had very short time to show results. I created a 90-day plan on which the whole team was involved, and within a couple of months, we proved that we were working in the right direction. However, the senior executives, also new to the department, interpreted the team’s extra commitment as the standard way of working and started to demand more and more. If anything, I had to learn – quickly – to negotiate mine and my team’s workload to be able to move forward. Seems easy now that I have done, but it wasn’t and if you are in a similar situation, I understand how hard it can be to set these boundaries, especially at crisis moments.

Likewise, at the time it was much easier to negotiate on behalf of my team or absorb the extra load myself. That situation took me to limit, and it was only until I lost my vision due to stress that I didn’t change my way of working. I would like to say that was the day I learned the lesson, but instead, I was forced by my body to stop. Yet, this was a very strong indication that something wasn’t right and needed addressing – still, it took me another half a decade to learn to set boundaries.

Today I feel much more confident and prepared to negotiate workloads and say no when needed. Certainly, I had to practice saying no, just as any other soft skill. I also needed to gain clarity over my contributions at work. But learning to say "no" when necessary and setting clear boundaries can be a game-changer in regaining control of your time and productivity (and in my case, the team’s as well).

You are busy because you lack time management skills. Effective time management is a skill that can significantly reduce the crowded feeling. Many individuals struggle with prioritisation, often tackling less important tasks (responding to whoever makes the request louder), or spending well beyond planned, while neglecting critical ones.

This was a key aspect I focussed on whilst overseeing projects’ costing. The nature of consultancy means the projects were priced according to the time to complete them. In most cases, if you use more hours than planned, that will take part of your profitability and if you just add a large allowance as buffer, in a lot of cases meant being outpriced by your competitors. To tackle this, I had to help the team to realistically set the time for their tasks, which also included reviewing the uncounted overtime.

During this process, I also learned that constantly switching from task to task (‘multitasking’) was only slowing me down on my deliverables. To address this, I started to allocate full blocks of time in my diary to complete for certain tasks, especially around the month’s closing. Nowadays, I tend to have most meetings in the mornings, when I am up for a chat, and leave afternoons for detailed tasks, when I am more introspective and concentrated. ?

Understanding your patterns of productivity and setting realistic allocations for completing a task is the first step for effective time management. Implementing time management techniques, such as focus time and blocks for completing specific tasks, can help you allocate your time more efficiently and reduce the rush from task to task.

You are busy because you are focussed on achieving a goal. Setting ambitious career goals is worthy, but it can also lead to a forever cycle of busyness. It is common to see career-focussed professionals taking on more tasks than they can realistically handle because they want to accelerate their careers (who doesn't?). It is also common to see this happening when someone is on a steep learning curve in a new role.

A common trap on this case is believing that taking on more tasks will lead to rapid progression. In a lot of cases this just make you busier and indispensable in your current role, a situation which is not necessarily is preparing you for your next move.

Every time I take on a bigger project on which I’m working on for longer hours on a sustained way (weeks or few months), I make sure to leave a decompression time after, focussing only on maintenance activities. This allows me to pick up any plates dropped on the way (including family and friends), reassess my career priorities, define next steps for development and give my head time to recharge.

This short-term push is necessary at certain stages of the career progress, but it's crucial to recognise when it's time to reduce the speed and reassess your workload, including it makes sense to continue doing what you are doing. Ultimately, continuously pushing yourself to the limit can lead to burnout and have the opposite effect: delay your long-term success.

You are busy because you genuinely enjoy your work. This is a very tricky one. For some, busyness is only a by-product of their genuine passion for their work. When your job is also your hobby or you have a genuine interest on the role, it can be challenging to switch off.

For some reason, it feels your brain easily gets into flow, your productivity seems naturally high and nothing else interests you at the same level. It is an amazing feeling of realisation and I would dare say that it is the best way to be busy. But in the long-term, this can have a hard hit in your wellbeing. While this dedication can drive sustained periods of high productivity, it's equally important to identify activities in life that would help you recharge and get through any harder days.

You are not as busy as you claim to be. Perhaps the most alarming aspect of the busy lifestyle epidemic is that many individuals who claim their busyness may not actually be as busy as they claim. Some do it to gain recognition and/or to seek validation for their dedication. Others exaggerate their workload as an excuse to avoid taking on new responsibilities. This inconsistency between words and actions can harm your reputation and credibility in the long run and, as a result, you might be left behind in opportunities for career progression.

Particularly, I find it quite uneasy to keep engaging with the ‘always busy’ colleague and it is something perhaps I need to learn about how to deal with. At the moment, I tend to concentrate my energy to work around those who have willingness to work together and do it in an effective way. Sometimes I know that it can take a toll not counting on an extra pair of hands. But, in this case, how can you be assertive without being confrontational? I understand this is something I should learn quickly if I am not to fall in one of the mistakes above again, but here I am, in my journey of the modern workplace.

But going back to my initial reflection… I see the pattern of a constant busy work life as result of our own behaviours and choices, therefore, our own responsibility. Furthermore, constantly emphasizing how busy you are no longer enhances your personal brand; instead, it raises questions about your ability to set boundaries, manage your time effectively and be a reliable team member.

Emphasizing how busy you are no longer enhances your personal brand; instead, it raises questions about your ability to set boundaries, manage your time effectively and be a reliable team member.

Instead of striving to be the busiest person in the room, consider focussing on being the most efficient, effective or supporter – and create spaces for learning or developing new abilities and taking on new professional challenges. Embrace assertiveness, improve your time management skills and strike a balance between ambition and wellbeing. Remember that true success in the workplace isn't just about looking busy; it's about solving every day’s problems, achieving meaningful results, and building a reputation as someone trustworthy and capable of contributing meaningfully to your organisation.

(c) Flavia Villarroel 2023.