What's busy costing you?

Busyness can be a badge of honour in charities: back-to-back meetings, the endless phone calls, and last-minute requests means it often ends up feeling like you're in a whirlwind, constantly firefighting. And worst of all, you never actually get the actual work done. It can leave you wondering what the point is anymore, if you're not actually able to make a difference and lead you to burning out. In this article I explore what busy is costing you and suggest what the alternative might look like.?

?Ability to focus?

Jobs in charities have become so big, with leaders often having two or three areas of responsibilities that it’s often hard to imagine how you can fit it all in to one week. Add to that the endless stream of emails to your inbox which are all titled urgent, the constant calls from the team or stakeholders. When you’re always on, immediately responsive to others it means that when you’re working on a task, you get pulled out of that state of flow or concentration, and getting back into that state will take you 23 minutes. This has a couple of implications for you, firstly, it’s going to take you even longer to get that work done, making the to-do list feel endless. But second of all, being in a state of flow whether in or outside of work is essential for our wellbeing. So being able to encourage ourselves into this state at work is really beneficial for how we feel about work, as well as our wellbeing. ?

Sense of achievement?

Working in this way will often mean that you never feel that you get anywhere. The to-do list grows instead of getting shorter, and whilst you didn’t stop all day, let alone had lunch, you‘re not quite sure what you actually did, or if you achieved anything. You feel like there’s never a chance to do the strategic work that you really need to do, because this is the thing that can always feel like it can be put off. And whilst you know it will be this work that makes the difference, it just no longer seems a priority. Taken together, this means you have no sense of accomplishment or achievement at work, one of the fundamentals of our sense of wellbeing and happiness.?

Sense of purpose?

As you find yourself in this busy cycle of work, without the sense of accomplishment, you can become disheartened. You begin to wonder what the point is as you have no time to focus on the work which will really enable you to make the difference you want to. And whilst you still believe in the mission of the organisation, your job, your day-to-day work becomes meaningless and you miss the days of working on the ground, directly with the community. This lack of meaning in your work only adds to your disconnection from work and impacts on your wellbeing. We know that meaning and purpose are essential to a happy life.?

Switching off?

This sense of constantly having to be available, never getting through your to-do list, of you disconnection from work means that you never really escape from work. Even when you’re not there it creeps in, you worry about it, you tell yourself you need to catch up, to be more focused when you’re there. And this seeps into your life outside of work, you cancel plans, you’re distracted when you’re with others, impacting on how present with others, how much you enjoy your time away from work, and your relationships.?

The alternative?

But it’s not like this for all leaders (or staff) in charities. The busyness badge of honour isn’t universal, some manage to say no, to not immediately jump, for whom staying late is the exception not the rule, who's life isn’t dominated by work. Who have the mythical work-life balance people crave. This won’t be down to them being less busy, or having less responsibility, but will be down to a combination of practical, personal and cultural factors.?

1. Protected time for complex tasks?

They will plan certain tasks in their day and ensure they’re protected – the phone will be on silent, their emails and Teams will be closed.?

2. Reflective and strategic planning?

They schedule time to reflect on, and strategically plan their work based on their responsibilities within the business plan. Meaning they know what they need to focus on, what they need to delegate and what they need to de-prioritise.?

3. Connecting tasks to meaning?

All those little tasks that eat up the day, the admin, the spreadsheets, the curveballs they think about in relation to their purpose. They know how these add value and help to create change, even if they don’t directly connect to the communities they serve?

4. Personal boundaries?

They are clear about the hours they work and protect their time outside work. This doesn’t mean that they never stay late, but this is the exception, not the rule, which means they are not overwhelmed by their work. It doesn’t creep into the rest of their life.?

5. A culture of support?

They work for an organisation which doesn’t expect them to give their all. It discourages this type of busyness, it encourages time for reflection, protected time for work, and boundaries around the work time.?

We you’re stuck in this cycle of busyness, it can feel impossible to stop & pause, to consider what is in your control, and make a change. But ultimately working in this way, can not only cost you how you feel about work, but can also seep out into other areas of your life, impacting on your enjoyment, and your relationships. Is it time you choose for you and your organisation to work differently??