For most of my working life, I’ve felt way too busy. Sometimes heart-stoppingly, wildly so — working long hours, missing out on family time or fun, and stressed beyond belief. And yet, a few years ago, as I was cleaning out my file cabinet before leaving the Washington Post after nearly 20 years, I found folder after folder of half-reported stories that would have been good. Really good. If only I hadn’t been too busy to actually work on them.
Preventing Busyness from Becoming Burnout
“I’m so busy.” This is a common refrain among knowledge workers, and for the most part, companies have left it up to individuals to come up with a solution. But research from ideas42, a behavioral science nonprofit, finds that it’s virtually impossible for people to break out of their “busyness tunnel” without structural changes within an organization. That’s because we’re wired to complete the easiest task on the vine, and rewarded professionally for our near-constant availability. To prevent burnout, and improve work-life stress, companies should consider three new mental models for employees: send regular social signals that working 24/7 is not expected or rewarded; build in deliberate slack time for getting big projects done; and making everyone’s workloads more transparent.