The Art of Being Busy: Dark Side of Productivity

By Warren Wong

I’d like to explore the idea of being busy. A question we are often asked is, ‘How have you been?’ And the standard response is, “I’ve been busy, how about yourself?”

Is being busy good or bad? I guess it depends on who you ask. Recently, I came upon a quote that really resonated with me.

“Busyness is an indicator of lack of control in one’s life. It’s someone who has sold away all of his own time and can no longer properly prioritize. Busyness is now used as a status symbol.” – Patrick S.

Those are critical words. Whether or not you agree with them, they do highlight our own beliefs.

Do you find yourself alway busy? Why are you so busy? How do you really spend your day?

Spend 10 minutes jotting down everything you do, and you will be surprised. In my own experiment, I noticed how often I checked my phone, the amount of time spent on Netflix, and randomly scrolling through Amazon.

In conclusion, I did not control my day. My things and other people controlled me.

24 hours in a day is a very long time. It can feel ‘short’ when there are constant distractions around us. They rob us of our energy and attention, and we label it as being busy’.

Being busy is the dark side of productivity. Is it healthy to be busy all the time? Do you feel proud to be “busy”? Do you use it as a badge of pride?

Balance is important. There will be moments in our lives that will feel chaotic. We will feel tempted to normalize busyness. That it’s just it is what it is. That way of thinking can be harmful and limiting.

Perhaps the antidote to our problems is to be less busy, knowing what is and isn’t essential.