We live in a culture that glorifies busyness.

We brag about our packed schedules, our overflowing inboxes, and our constant state of "being on." Whenever I talk with someone on the phone and ask them about their news, significant life events, etc., I only hear, “I’m so busy, I can barely talk right now.” And I understand that. Most of us haven’t inherited a big pile of money, so we have to work to make ends meet. And apart from work there is life and everything that comes with it: family gatherings, friends we miss and haven’t spoken to for a long time, kids with numerous responsibilities and needs, different home errands, and the list keeps going. But how did we manage to be so busy and not have enough time for the fun things of life?

If we break it down, all this busyness often masks a deeper problem: a lack of productivity. We're running around like chickens with our heads cut off, but are we actually getting anything meaningful done? We have made busyness equal to success, and we are almost ashamed to say to someone that we are not busy enough and our calendar is not full for at least 18 hours a day, or else we fear that we won’t be as successful as everyone else. And we end up feeling guilty when we have time to dedicate to more fun activities and not a dull errand.

So, why is busyness so detrimental?

I admit I have always had things on my plate every day and there were times that I felt very overwhelmed by how busy I was. And yes, I was one of those who always responded, “I’m so busy, I can barely pay attention to you for more than 1 minute.” Was I, though? Not as much as I thought. Or, to put it another way, I had things to do, but my procrastination levels were so high level that I didn’t understand that it wasn’t the “busyness” I thought that would let me enjoy life but the lack of productivity that kept me from managing my time. I recently heard a great podcast from Business Insider in which the guest remarked that success doesn’t require being busy. The truth is, being busy doesn't necessarily equate to being productive. In fact, it can be quite the opposite.

Busyness breeds stress and burnout

Constantly feeling rushed and overwhelmed impacts our mental and physical health. Chronic stress leads to burnout, which can manifest as exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced performance. Notably, according to a survey, 60% of U.S. adults said they at least sometimes felt too busy to enjoy life. You might be "busy," but you're not performing best.

Busyness leads to poor decision-making

When we're constantly trying to deal with multiple tasks and deadlines, we often make hasty decisions. We don't have the time or mental space to evaluate options and consider the consequences properly, giving space to costly mistakes and setbacks.

Busyness prevents deep work

Meaningful work requires focus and concentration. Constantly switching between tasks and responding to interruptions hinders our ability to engage in deep work, the kind of focused effort that produces truly valuable results. We become masters of surface-level activity but struggle to make real progress.

Busyness sacrifices quality for quantity

When the primary goal is to simply "get things done," quality often suffers. We rush through tasks, overlooking details and making careless errors, which can impact our reputation and undermine our efforts.

Busyness steals our time

Ironically, all this "busyness" can actually make us less efficient. We spend so much time reacting to immediate demands that we don't have time to plan and prioritize, leading us to wasted effort and a feeling of constantly chasing our tails.

Busyness impacts our well-being

When we're always busy, we neglect our personal lives, relationships, and well-being. We sacrifice sleep, exercise, and leisure activities, which ultimately undermines our productivity in the long run.

How to break free

If you are in the vicious circle of busyness, it’s not always easy to recognize the significance of taking a step back and realizing that you need to slow down and evaluate your time, priorities, and the results of your constant effort. However, the strategies below worked from the escape from my “busy girl era.”

I prioritized ruthlessly

Life is not only our job—it takes a considerable part of it, and we need to be able to fit in 24 hours of work, rest, and fun time. So, I had a bazillion tasks‚ including fun time with friends and family, and I needed to fit them all in 16 hours (8 hours are for sleep). So, I prioritized accordingly. The truth to be told is that not all tasks are created equal. I followed the Pareto Principle, which can be extremely helpful in such a situation. According to it, the way to be productive is to focus our energy on the 20% of tasks that will yield 80% of the results. For instance, say that you have multiple tasks at work; which will get you closer to your goal? The goal would be to deliver a project, get that promotion, or prepare an offer for a client. Pick those 2-3 that help you get there and let the other down on your to-do list. For instance, if you have to deliver an urgent project that is critical and one that can be delayed but is manageable, focus on the hard one because this is probably the one that will bring more money to the table and send an email of delay to the other. This technique is effective in the long run, especially if you are leading businesses or projects, and it is pretty effective in reducing the amount of busyness in your life. However, that means that you have to learn how to say "no" to anything that doesn't align with your priorities, aka redirect phone calls to your voicemail, and not take over urgent projects for the foreseeable future.

I planned my day ahead

Every day, I used to wake up and just react to whatever came my way. This made my day a roller-coaster of tasks, meetings, and unforeseeable commitments, and at the end of the day, instead of Netflix and chilling, I had to finish tasks that stayed behind. Things are not as unexpected as we think, so it’s better to take some time each day to plan our tasks and allocate specific time blocks for focused work. This will help you stay on track and avoid getting sidetracked by less important activities. So, grab your calendar and allocate specific blocks of time for specific tasks. This helps you focus your attention and avoid multitasking, which has been proven to decrease productivity. For instance, my calendar contains not only my work commitments but also my commitments for my personal life. I workout 4 times a week, which means that I wake up at 7 am, and by 7:30 am, I am already on the reformer for 1 hour. This time is blocked on my calendar; unless the world blows up, I stick to my calendar. Also, during the days I need to focus on actual work, I don’t take any phone calls and meetings for the time that is blocked on my calendar. When making dinner, I make sure to put it on the calendar and know how much time I need to make food. A good trick is to know what you are planning to eat each day so that you allocate the appropriate amount of time to do so.

I waved bye-bye to distractions

My phone is the extension of my hand, and I like it. However, I have cultivated a more productive relationship with it, and I farewell it the moment I have to do actual work (writing this article, for instance!). A distraction-free environment is of paramount importance for focused work. Otherwise, it turns into a multitasking show, and the work is never done—which takes time from the fun activities of life (aka, sleep and guilty pleasure shows). Discipline yourself, turn off notifications, close unnecessary tabs, and let your colleagues —or roommates if you work from home—know you need uninterrupted time. A pair of headphones and an inspirational playlist are a must. Just set the alarm for breaks (see below) and keep working, and then you will realize that the 8-hour working time was implemented for a reason and the work can be done in that or less time.

I ceased the one-man show

Aka, I started delegating. I have often mentioned that my control freak nature wouldn’t let me leave control to others easily. Nobody can do it the way I do it, so I kept myself busy, depriving myself of fun, sleep, and socializing because I wanted to have control over everything. However, this is the principle of busyness and the opposite of productivity. So, my advice would be not to try to do everything yourself—you will fail and be disappointed. Nobody would do whatever it is that you do as well as you, but each person is different, and another perspective can be extremely helpful. The art of delegation is powerful; learning it well can be a game-changer. Delegate tasks to others who are better suited for them. This frees up your time and allows you to focus on your core responsibilities. For instance, at work, delegate the phone calls with clients who take up your time to people who have more flexible schedules than you, and, yes, your partner can make dinner tonight even if it’s not Michelin star worth. It’s just dinner. If you are invited somewhere and you’d like to bring something, ask your partner/friend/another close invitee to get something on your behalf and do that next time when you have more free time. Find solutions that won’t burden the people around you but would unburden your “busy” schedule. Also, you have no idea how many people get pleasure in helping others; it’s a sense of fulfillment, and your loved ones would do something for you if that meant that they could spend more time with the actual you!

I forced myself to take breaks

It may seem counterintuitive, but regular breaks can boost your productivity and reduce your busyness levels. It’s not possible to focus on one task for a long time, so short breaks are ideal because they allow you to recharge and refocus, preventing burnout and improving your concentration. You can also multitask constructively while on a break. Call a loved friend or family member for a quick catch-up, listen to the podcast you don’t have time to do, or take ten minutes to start the laundry if you are working from home. This way, your brain loses focus and recharges because you do something different, and then you get back to being more motivated to keep working. The same applies for the weekends. Even if you have a lot of things to do, allocate enough time for quality sleep and self-care activities. I usually work during the weekend, but I make sure I meet with friends or do something fun in between so that my mind gets a bit away. The more rested you are, the higher your productivity levels will be and the sooner you finish your tasks.

I adjusted and adapted accordingly

Both work and life flow change, so you can’t be rigid on your schedule every single day. Don’t expect to make the ideal life schedule and be consistently productive and carefree. It actually takes time to get the mindset of a productive lifestyle, but the truth is that you are not a machine. Also, life is unpredictable, so you need to be as flexible as possible to adapt to every situation without overwhelming yourself and constantly feeling busy. Do a self-check from time to time and evaluate your progress. For instance, have you left your phone away enough to do your work undistracted? Are there any things that you could have done differently? Have you managed to delegate enough tasks so your life doesn’t seem like an endless to-do list? Be honest with yourself and see what else you can change or improve in the future. Don’t let the circumstances dictate your time management; you dictate your time and priorities.

Working smart and not hard is the key to success, not working overtime. Breaking the cycle of busyness and being productive without the guilt of not being a busy beaver requires a shift in mindset: focusing on what matters and brings results and letting go of the need to be "busy constantly." It will change your life for good; and mainly for the better.

And always remember The Working Gal’s motto: Don't be busy; be productive!

---

Follow Us On Social For More Tips & News

The Working Gal on Instagram

The Working Gal on Facebook

The Working Gal on Pinterest