Busyness: Stop Saying You're Busy
How many times have you heard the following? “Ugh, I'm so busy. I'm so stressed. I can't do everything I need to do.”
If you've spent even a little time in the working world, you've probably heard it, and many variations on the same theme. In fact, it's not just our work lives that make a lot of people feel that way. People who are retired, stay at home parents, and people with all sorts of life circumstances can feel overwhelmed by all of the things on their plates.
It’s one thing when the stress is due to major life events or a big, unusual event happening at work. In those situations, stress is normal and probably, to an extent, unavoidable. It’s another thing entirely when the stress is due to unrealistic expectations, pressure to take on a million activities, and overcommitment.
Here at Myrth, we don’t think the latter situation is helpful or healthy.
That’s why we try really hard not to use the words “stressed” or “busy.” That's not because we don't sometimes feel that way, but because we are concerned about the message we send to those around us.
A Toxic Work Culture Is Burying Us All
American working culture glorifies the cult of busy. The more important somebody is, the busier they are--or at least, that's what we are told. This cult of busy, of overwork, of squeezing every last minute of productivity out of every single day, is burning out everybody. We need a paradigm shift.
If there is going to be a healthy workforce moving forward into the 21st century, it's imperative that we adjust workplace culture to allow for some downtime. This isn't just us dreaming about a better world. Studies have shown that employees are actually more productive when they work fewer, more concentrated hours. They've also shown that downtime is essential for people in creative industries and professions that rely on heavy, intense brain work. That's because the brain needs time to synthesize information and build connections between new information and existing knowledge.
When we glorify being busy, we remove incentives for people to give themselves the time they need, both to be productive during their working hours and to be more effective during those working hours.
Not only that, we further devalue the importance of things that don't generate revenue but are still crucial to well-being--things like physical activity, meditation or prayer, and time with loved ones.
A New Approach To Busyness
So here at Myrth, we’ve taken a different approach. When people ask us how we're doing, and we’re tempted to answer that we're busy, we've adopted a different strategy. We tell people that our schedule is full, but we make time for the things that matter.
If you’re looking to reframe your language, check out this article from CNBC with some helpful alternatives. One option, instead of just saying you’re “busy,” is to describe what you’re up to. That gives you an opportunity to connect with the person you’re talking to while still communicating your availability (or lack thereof) to take on new things.
Ultimately, it comes down to expectations. If people think they’re expected to be booked solid every minute of the day, they will convey that when asked, even if they aren’t really. It’s time to reframe those expectations.
Today, we invite you to take a look at the language that you use to describe your schedule. Does it help you feel better or worse about how you fill your days? If it doesn't help you, and maybe even makes you feel worse, how can you reframe that language?
Drop us a comment below and share your experiences with reframing your language.
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