Workplace Wellbeing: Why you shouldn't allow yourself to be a busy fool at work 

Instead of reactively clearing our email inbox or replying to instant messages, we need to focus on our priorities

Busyness may have consequences for our health. Not having time for meaningful work undermines job satisfaction, which a 2021 study, based on data from 177,395 US workers, found was a significant predictor of wellbeing.

It's easy to be busy but unproductive at work. Hours can fly by while we clear our inboxes, attend meetings, and reply to the barrage of instant messages, only to end the day without having done anything tangible.

Australian business consultant Joff Outlaw thinks modern workplaces encourage us to behave this way.

“Organisations often reward the people who work the longest hours and attend the most meetings, which can promote an unhealthy culture of busyness,” he says. “Being busy has come to be seen as a badge of honour.”

But it may be impacting our work. “Busyness is reactive,” says Outlaw. “And when we’re in reactive mode, we respond to every email, ping, and meeting. We have very little time left to get any meaningful work done.”

Busyness may have consequences for our health. Not having time for meaningful work undermines job satisfaction, which a 2021 study, based on data from 177,395 US workers, found was a significant predictor of wellbeing.

Can we do anything to end our corporate love affair with busyness? Outlaw has partnered with psychologist and fellow Australian Brad Marshall to write a book, Busy Idiots: Learn the Brain Science and Productivity Hacks to Get Ahead without the Stress.

Joff Outlaw and Brad Marshall’s book ‘Busy Idiots’ offers hacks on how to be more efficient at work.

The book is for people who feel like they are on an endless treadmill, struggling to keep up, but going nowhere fast. Its authors urge us to swap reactive busyness for proactive productivity. They outline how by allocating our time and energy, we can get our most important tasks done on schedule and to a high standard.

“We all know the energy and fulfilment that come from being productive,” says Outlaw. “And many of us also know the sense of anxiety and even burnout that can result from constantly being busy.”

Marshall argues that the first step to increasing productivity is understanding technology’s role in keeping us busy.

“It’s one of the primary drivers distracting us from deep work,” he says. 

“For example, you might be working to a deadline, but you know there are group chats going on, so you take a quick break to check in. Fifteen minutes later, you’ve read all your messages, but it takes another 10 or 15 minutes to get back in to your work. You’ve been busy, but lost 30 minutes of productivity.”

Technology dependence

Marshall and Outlaw share a four-step ‘Sustainable Tech Blueprint’ to break technology’s hold over us.

The first is becoming aware of how tech can steal our attention. The second is understanding how it does.

We get a minor, consistent hit of the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine from using technology. But it never moves beyond an anticipatory high, creating a constant loop of craving.

“That’s part of what attracts and holds our attention,” says Marshall. “It’s not our fault we find technology so tempting. It’s not our failure if we struggle to manage our use of it. Technology is designed this way.”

However, we’re not powerless against it, which brings us to the third step: Personal technology audit.

The book includes a questionnaire, with points for behaviours such as how often you check your phone during a meal or check and send emails outside of work hours.

“People should be honest with themselves about their tech use and then ask themselves if it’s consistent with how they want to live their lives,” says Marshall.

The fourth step is practising strategies to wrest control back from technology. All devices come with built-in features that can help with this, such as do-not-disturb settings and screentime, the latter setting a time limit on individual apps.

Other tips include turning off notification sounds and alerts; deleting the email app from non-work devices; using a dumb phone that only allows for calls and texts in the evenings, weekends, and holidays; and taking time out from technology for extended periods.

According to Marshall, maintaining these boundaries will likely be an ongoing challenge. “It’s like healthy eating,” he says.

“We start to slip. Technology creeps back in without us being conscious of it. That’s why we recommend people audit their technology use at least once a year.”

Do less, but better

Planning our time can also help us escape the busy trap. Outlaw advises setting aside time to prepare for the following week at the end of each week. “Just 30 minutes will allow you to focus on what you need to get done,” he says.

Setting priorities is helpful, too.

Outlaw chastises me for not ranking the tasks on my to-do list.

“Prioritising everything means prioritising nothing,” he says. “The important things on your list could end up getting the same amount of time and focus as things that aren’t important. It’s much better to do a few things well and with intention than lots of things mindlessly. You might do less, but you’ll achieve more.”

Another constructive tip is to allocate 50% more time to each task than you think you need.

This is because of a psychological phenomenon known as the planning fallacy, which refers to our tendency to be overconfident when estimating how long a task will take.

This can cause us to miss work deadlines, which creates stress for us, our colleagues, and our managers.

By allocating more time, Outlaw says, “We’ll have ample time to do our task well, and we may even have game time to take a breath before we bounce onto the next priority.”

Taking a breath is another effective tool for breaking free from busyness. A US review of studies, published in 2022, concluded that taking regular breaks boosts performance and productivity.

“The data is clear,” says Outlaw. “The more breaks you take, the more energy you have and the more productive you are. If you’re doing deep work, you need a 10- to 15-minute break every couple of hours. And not all breaks are the same.

“The best involve going for a walk, stretching, or chatting with friends or colleagues.”

We also need to be careful when using the word ‘yes’. Many people struggle to say ‘no’ at work, because they worry it might mean they aren’t seen as team players.

“But if you say ‘yes’ to everything, you’re going to end up letting someone down or burning yourself out, as you can’t possibly do everything,” says Outlaw.

“Be kind but firm. Ask questions about the work you’re being asked to do, and if you don’t have the time or skills to help, say so.”

If you find it difficult to say no, try the book’s advice to “marry a can’t with a can”.

Perhaps you have the time or skills to assist with a small part of the task. Or maybe you know someone else who might be free and able to help. Suggesting alternatives is often easier than refusing outright.

Since reading this book, I’ve tried its strategies to banish busyness. The one I’ve found most useful is scheduling more breaks.

In what Marshall and Outlaw would call typical ‘busy idiot’ fashion, I used to mistakenly try to power through without breaks, only to find myself running out of steam by mid-afternoon.

Lately, I’ve been taking movement breaks every hour or so, and I’ve found that my energy and concentration levels last much longer. Here’s hoping it’s the start of a more productive era.