Hey there,
Ever felt like you’re busier than ever, but when you look back, you didn’t get much done?
I most certainly have, and it can be very frustrating! It’s that strange feeling where you’re busy, but at the end of the day, you can’t quite see what you’ve achieved. You know what I mean, right?
So, here’s a question I’ve been toying with:
Why do we sometimes feel busier even when we’re doing less?
It’s weird, right? There are days when I seem to be tackling fewer tasks or projects, but somehow, I feel even more stretched thin than when I’m tackling a longer to-do list. It’s as if my brain realizes there’s less to do and starts slacking!
Today, let’s do a thought experiment and dig into why this might be happening.
The first thing I’ve realized is that busyness doesn’t always equal productivity. There are times when we think we're productive just because we're moving or filling our day with stuff. But being busy and being productive are two very different things. Being busy is like running on a treadmill – lots of effort, little distance traveled. Productivity, on the other hand, is more like a sprint toward a specific goal. I’d love to take credit for those analogies, but I didn’t come up with them. Nonetheless, they are pretty accurate.
I’ve known about the problem with doing busy work but lately I started to wonder if part of this feeling comes from our culture around work. As early as primary school, we’re taught and later constantly reminded that being busy is good. It’s something to be proud of.
If someone asks how you are, and you say, “Oh, so busy,” there’s almost a little sense of accomplishment, right? Like you’re contributing, doing important stuff, being useful. But is that actually the case? Unfortunately, it’s usually not.
Then there are the little things that fill our day but don’t leave a clear mark on our achievements. I read a term about these which resonated with me – invisible tasks. It’s the constant checking of emails, scrolling through feeds, or even switching between tasks without really finishing any.
Take emails, for example. I used to think of them as a minor part of my day, but then I realized how much time they actually consume. Every time I open my inbox, I’m pulled into tiny decisions, each one breaking my flow. The time adds up, but at the end of the day, all those emails don’t leave me feeling accomplished – they just leave me feeling drained. I’ve even heard people using the term email fatigue to describe this exact feeling.
Invisible tasks create that perception of busyness without any sense of closure. They’re always there, lurking around, eating up our time and mental energy. And because they’re never really done, they keep us from enjoying a true sense of completion.
I’ll bet you have at least a few times committed to something small that somehow ended up taking way more time and energy than you expected, tight? The so called overcommitment trap is actually my specialty. I agree to too many little tasks because they don’t feel like a big deal, but then they pile up and become a mountain of responsibilities. Actually, this is something I do so much, that I have started to force myself to decline at least one thing every day. And it’s been working quite good so far!
I think we often underestimate how much space such smaller tasks actually take up. You might say yes to an extra meeting, volunteer to help a friend with something, or take on just one more tiny work project. Before you know it, your day is crammed with stuff you didn’t even plan for. And even though you’re technically doing less important work, you’re still way busier than you wanted to be (or even you can be while remaining sane).
Then there’s the decision-making. Even small decisions can carry a surprising mental weight. Think about those days where you’ve had to make a bunch of choices, even if they were small: what to wear for an important meeting, what emails to respond to first, which bills to prioritize, or which project to start on. Each choice might seem tiny, but they add up, leading to what’s often called decision fatigue (yep, another fatigue one). It’s that sense of feeling completely worn out by the end of the day without having much to show for it.
Decision fatigue can make us feel busy because our minds are working hard, even when our tasks aren’t all that substantial. It’s the classic case of the brain working overtime while the to-do list stays nearly the same (story of my work life!).
Something else that plays into this overarching feeling is how we view downtime. Sometimes, even when there’s an open moment, I find myself filling it – even if I don’t really need to. I think it comes from the pressure we put on ourselves to always be doing something. We’re taught that rest is lazy, or that if we have nothing on our plate, we must be slacking off. But rest is crucial. Without it, we end up tired, mentally cluttered, and (you guessed it!) busy without truly being productive.
Many companies make it a part of their culture to teach us that resting equals slacking. There’s often a sort of corporate brainwashing that instills a certain guilt that comes with downtime, and I think this guilt keeps us from fully enjoying the time we spend relaxing. We end up fidgeting, half-working, half-relaxing, and ultimately getting nothing done and still feeling drained. It’s almost as if we’re busy being guilty about not being busy. Funny, right?
I’ve been thinking a lot about all of this and started to experiment a bit with different approaches to avoid the busy but not productive trap. Here are a few ideas that seem to help me so far:
Cut Out the Invisible Tasks
Whenever I can, I try to batch similar tasks – like checking emails only twice a day. This way, they’re not constantly interrupting my other work. Sadly, I only manage to do this 1-2 days a week. Not ideal, but it’s still something.
Say No (or “Not Right Now”)
Overcommitting is a habit I’m trying hard to break. Forcing myself to say no to some things is already making a huge difference. It lets me focus on the bigger tasks that actually move me forward. I am still nowhere near where I want to be in this regard, but hey, baby steps is better than nothing!
Plan Downtime Without Guilt
This one’s tough, but it’s important, so let’s say it’s a work in progress. I remind myself daily that it’s okay to have unstructured time. Downtime isn’t a waste – it’s actually a key part of staying sane and productive. My track record with downtime is pretty bad, so it’s a major focus, especially now that I am a father of a little boy.
I guess it all comes down to the fact that feeling busy doesn’t always mean we’re moving toward something meaningful. Sometimes it’s just a signal that we’ve cluttered our time with too many invisible tasks or small commitments. I’m thinking that maybe real productivity is doing less but doing it more intentionally.
It’s all an experiment for me, and I’m curious if you’ve felt this way too. If you ever feel busy doing nothing, try cutting back a little. You probably won’t be surprised but it feels so freeing and energizing, it’s totally worth it.
Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Do you also feel busy even when doing less? Hit reply and let me know – Even though I might be unable to respond to everyone, I’m still always happy to hear from you.
And thank you for sharing this newsletter with your friends and family. It’s the main way for me to reach more people, so I highly appreciate it!
See you next week!
Best,
Dobri 🍃