“Don’t confuse activity with productivity. Many are simply busy being busy.“ ~ Robin S. Sharma
We say it all the time, often without thinking. It’s the go-to excuse, the default answer, and for some, even a badge of honor.
“I’m so busy.”
“Sorry I missed that, I was busy.”
“I’d love to, but I’m just too busy.”
We wear busy like a label, as if it explains everything. But here’s the thing—busy isn’t a state of being. It’s a mindset, one that keeps us running on a hamster wheel of stress and exhaustion, always moving but never arriving. No matter how fast we go, we never feel like we’re quite enough.”
I’ve spent the past few years trying to eliminate the word busy from my vocabulary. Not because my workload has suddenly lightened, but because I realized something: saying “I’m busy” externalizes the problem, as if I have no control over my time, my choices, or my energy. And that’s simply not true.
Beyond that, it carries an unintended implication that others aren’t as busy as me. The truth is everyone is managing demands, juggling priorities, and navigating their own version of full.
So instead of the default response, I started focusing on what I was choosing to prioritize and how I was managing my energy. And that small shift changed everything.
So, let’s talk about busy—why it’s a trap, why it’s so hard to let go of, and what we can do instead.
Busy is Not a Status Symbol
For years, busy was seen as proof of ambition. I remember my tech sector days when we competed to be the first in the parking lot and the last to leave. Now, in a hybrid world, the competition has shifted: emails timestamped after midnight, Slack notifications pinging at all hours, the expectation of being always on.
The irony? The most effective people, the ones producing meaningful work and leading with clarity, aren’t the ones who are in constant motion. They aren’t the ones racing from one meeting to the next, answering emails at all hours, or constantly reminding everyone how busy they are.
- They protect their energy by blocking time for deep, focused work instead of just reacting to every request.
- They work with their natural rhythms, recognizing that renewal isn’t a reward; it’s a necessity.
- They prioritize intentionally, choosing what matters most, instead of defaulting to what’s most urgent.
The real measure of success isn’t how busy you are. It’s how much impact you create without depleting yourself in the process.
Work is Like Digging a Hole in the Sand
One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is that if we just work a little harder, push a little longer, we’ll finally get ahead. But the reality?
Work is like digging a hole in the sand. The more you dig, the more it fills back in. The list of things to do will never be done.
Yet, we convince ourselves that just a few more hours will make the difference. That if we sacrifice sleep, power through exhaustion, and push a little harder, we’ll finally catch up. But instead of feeling accomplished, we end up depleted.
Cal Newport, in his latest book Slow Productivity, calls this pseudo-productivity—the illusion that being constantly busy means being effective. But true productivity isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing what matters, in a way that’s sustainable.
The question isn’t: How much can I cram into my day?
The real question is: How can I work in a way that sustains my energy, not just my schedule? And, what’s my responsibility as a leader to re-energize my team?
Reframing Busy: It’s About Energy, Not Time
Here’s where we need to shift the conversation. Instead of talking about how busy we are, we should be talking about our energy.
We all have the same number of hours in a day. The difference isn’t time, it’s how we manage our energy within that time.
When our energy is low, everything feels harder. We react instead of respond. We say yes when we should say no. We push through exhaustion instead of pausing to reset.
When our energy is well-managed, we feel in control. We make intentional choices. We recognize what’s draining us. We protect our energy so we can be fully present in what matters.
If you find yourself saying, “I’m just too busy,” pause and ask yourself:
➡ What’s depleting me right now?
➡ What’s one thing I can do to restore my energy?
➡ Where am I saying yes out of obligation, not intention?
When we stop fixating on time and start paying attention to energy, we gain real agency over how we work and live. After all, we are the ones who decide how we show up, where we invest our energy, and what we choose to prioritize.
Breaking Free from the Busy Trap
Want to stop feeling busy? Try these two shifts:
- Replace the Word Busy
Instead of saying “I’m too busy,” try:
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- “I’m focusing on a few key priorities right now.”
- “I’m at capacity for the moment, but let’s revisit this next week.”
- “I’m prioritizing deep work today, can we connect tomorrow?”
This small shift changes the conversation. It moves from helpless to intentional. Instead of implying that you’re drowning, you’re reinforcing that your energy is valuable.
- Set One Small Boundary (And Keep It)
One of the fastest ways to reclaim energy? Start setting boundaries. Not big, sweeping changes, just one small shift at a time.
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- Don’t check emails after 7 pm.
- Block 90-minute deep work sessions in your calendar.
- Say no to a low-priority request without guilt.
Small boundaries, consistently held, create massive shifts in energy and focus.
Let’s Retire the Word Busy for Good
Let’s agree, busy is just a word. But words shape our mindset, and our mindset shapes how we live and work.
Imagine if, instead of wearing busy as a status symbol, we measured success by:
- How present we are in our work.
- How energized we feel at the end of the day.
- How aligned our actions are with what truly matters.
Let’s stop celebrating busy. Let’s start focusing on what really fuels us. Because the real goal isn’t to do more. It’s to do what matters—without running ourselves into the ground.
