Ryan’s Journal: Is Being Busy a Right?
by Ryan Pew
I have been pretty busy lately and am not proud of it. Most of my time is taken up with mundane tasks, but they do keep me occupied.
I have small children so a successful day involves my wife and I getting a chance to catch up on laundry and dishes.
I also have the demands of work, which is good, because wouldn’t you rather have that than no work at all?
However, busy is also a euphemism that whatever you’re working on isn’t truly that important.
When I have work or friends that ask for my time and I say I am busy it is typically a polite way of saying I don’t want to do it or they are not a priority.
In aggregate, we see this as a society where there are silos of people who have only a few select relationships and follow a set pattern.
Those workaholics who are always at the office are often celebrated by society and condemned by those that work for them. I had a boss years ago who worked all the time and expected those below them to do so as well. I hated it.
However, I have followed a pattern lately where I am in that same condition.
I work a lot but feel like nothing is getting done.
I have been in this place before and typically the way I get out is by setting small priorities that I can work towards and build upon that.
How do you get out of the hamster wheel of work and become productive?
Note that HBS claims there is some good that can come of it.
Image credit: Roban Kramer
