We all know the type. The colleague that hurries past your desk with a furrowed brow. The person who’s always late to the meeting. The one who audibly signs when allocated a new task. If asked how they are going, no matter what the situation, they will always have the same reply: “Oh! I’m just so busy!”
Being “busy” is a common refrain in the workplace, with some people clutching so hard to the descriptor that it’s basically part of their personality. But – and here’s the harsh reality – everyone is busy. Every single one of us has too many items on our to-do list, we’ve all got places to go and there are dozens of open tabs in our brains that are clamouring for our attention.
Being busy at work doesn’t make you special.Credit: The Image Bank
Yet, some people still fall willingly into the trap of “busyness”, wearing it like a badge that sets them apart from everyone else. Every workplace has this strain of colleague who thrives on the perception they are always working too hard and are under the pump.
There’s a name for this too: “productivity theatre”, which means performing actions that make you seem like you’re doing things, even if it doesn’t contribute meaningfully to any business outcomes.
Examples of this include attending unnecessary meetings when you don’t really need to be there or spending way too much time on admin tasks instead of prioritising the important ones.
Recent research of US-based workers by software company Visier found that more than 40 per cent of employees spent more than 10 hours a week on things that could be called productivity theatre.
You’re not special just because you don’t know how to effectively manage your workload.
It’s only too easy to get caught in the whir of being constantly busy, as it makes you feel important when everything’s urgent, and you believe you’re the only one who can solve it. It’s also incredibly draining to feel busy all the time, and is one of the contributing factors to burnout.
So how can you escape from this cult of busyness if you find yourself getting sucked into its vortex?
About The Author
