Busy. Busy. More Busy.

Busy is the new black.

When I heard this mentioned in a podcast recently, I wonder if busy, much like that black suit in our wardrobe, is an enduring staple.

For as long as I can remember, the focus on productivity and busyness pervades all areas of our work and lives.

Busy. Often the default answer to how our day/week/year is going.

And there’s more.

From cultures that promote a focus on outputs and “bums on seats” rather than outcomes and impact,

To the workplaces, and individuals, who wear busy as a badge,

The eternal struggle we have between the urgent and the important,

And our need for greater work-life harmony, better health and wellbeing.

Most people I work with - myself, included - are constantly recalibrating our relationship with busyness. Perhaps we take the advice of the fashion experts who advocate for more colour in our wardrobes, and advocate for a little less busy.

How might we change the prevailing culture of busy? Perhaps we start by changing the answer to, ‘how was your week?’


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Flip Your Focus

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Week Creep