When Did “Busy” Become the Goal?

(And how to break the cycle before it breaks you).

In today’s world, being busy is rarely questioned. In fact, it’s often rewarded. A full calendar, a packed inbox, and the ability to juggle multiple priorities at once have become symbols of success, especially in fast-paced environments like learning delivery and operations.

Somewhere along the way, “busy” stopped being a signal that something needs to change. Instead, it became something to strive for - a sign that you’re important, useful, and pulling your weight.

Many leaders are so used to working and living in this way, that they don’t even realise they’re stuck in a constant cycle of busyness until it becomes unsustainable. Their diaries are filled with back-to-back meetings. Their days stretch well beyond working hours. Their focus is scattered, and yet the pressure to keep delivering never lets up.

At first, it feels manageable. You pride yourself on being productive, adaptable, the person who always steps in and gets things done. But over time, the toll becomes harder to ignore. The fact is as we get older, we can’t work in the way that we used to, but we seem to forget this and push on through, covering up the fact that we feel differently in our 40s and beyond. And you get so used to constantly pushing, taking on more than you can handle, over-filling your diary as that’s the only way to try and get through your workload which is too much, when you do have a moment to stop, the discomfort is immediate - because you’re not used to stillness anymore.

The pace becomes your default setting. Slowing down starts to feel unsafe. And even when you're completely overwhelmed, there’s a part of you that wonders whether this is just how work is meant to feel.

This is one of the most common patterns I see in my coaching work. Clients don’t come to me because they’re failing, they come because they’re functioning, but only just. They’re still meeting expectations, but it’s taking more energy than it should. They’re still showing up, but something doesn’t feel right. Often, they can’t remember the last time they felt focused, clear, or truly in control of their time.

And that’s the cost of normalised busyness. It erodes your ability to lead intentionally. It chips away at your energy, your clarity, and your confidence. And worst of all, it becomes self-perpetuating. The more you prove you can handle, the more is given to you. And the harder you work, the less space you have to think.

Breaking this cycle takes more than a holiday or a temporary break. It requires a shift in mindset and a redesign of how you work, so that your time and energy are used with intention, not just urgency.

That might look like building protected time into your week for strategy and reflection, not just meetings and admin. It might mean creating boundaries around your availability and communication, so that your working hours aren’t filled with constant interruptions. And it almost always involves letting go of the belief that being busy equals being valuable.

Being busy is not the same as being effective. Always available is not the same as respected. And being exhausted at the end of every week is not a sign that you’re doing your job well - it’s a sign that something needs to change.

You can still be ambitious and successful without running on empty. You can still lead powerfully without being constantly “on.” And you can still meet high expectations without sacrificing your wellbeing in the process.

The goal is not to get better at being busy. The goal is to build a way of working that is both sustainable and impactful - so that you can do your best work without losing yourself in the process.

If you’d like a free chat about how I can help you you can redesign your approach to work and ways of working to create more mental clarity, headspace, and time for the things that matter to you outside of work, book a free introduction call: https://calendly.com/karen-karenhaguecoaching/intro