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Busy to Death

barryoreilly.com

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Re: Busy to Death

#11

Post by shubhamjain »

I am often bemused how people actually end up being so busy. At times, I have felt insecure about my "free time" — sort of how I might be running behind people who are constantly occupied. But, taking a closer look, you can see how a lot of work that busy people do is something that can be reduced, optimised, and even completely done away with. Checking emails, and reports, taking calls that need not be taken, endlessly digressing in meetings, and sometimes, even more obvious, like, squandering time in checking HN, Reddit, and Facebook.

The latter isn't so harmful in moderate amounts but I have people who spend their entire workday talking and checking FB, finishing their work only late at night — being "too busy and hard-working".

I think our society needs to learn that having no free-time is pernicious, but more importantly, unnecessary. There are multitudes of ways in which the work can be optimised with a little effort.

Re: Busy to Death

#12

Post by coldtea »

tiglionabbit wrote: post #10
computator wrote: post #2

> Thinking is an activity too—don’t undervalue it. Make time and space for it in your daily work schedule. This is why I find it impossible to work effectively in open-plan offices. I'm often looking off in to space, thinking. But I feel compelled to make clickety-clack noises on a keyboard, continuously and unproductively, lest people think I'm not working.

You could write down what you're thinking while you're thinking it. I usually use a google doc to organize my thoughts. It frees up active memory to get your thoughts out of your head and onto paper where you can see them and no longer fear forgetting them.

>You could write down what you're thinking while you're thinking it.

That would be a solution to a non-problem ("looking busy").

Re: Busy to Death

#13

Post by coldtea »

speedplane wrote: post #6

In professions where you get paid by the hour (e.g., contractors, lawyers, etc.) being busy is a proxy for making more money. So when people say, "I've been swamped," it's a polite way of them saying "I'm making bank."

>In professions where you get paid by the hour (e.g., contractors, lawyers, etc.) being busy is a proxy for making more money.

On the other hand, in blue collar and McJobs, it's usually the opposite.

Re: Busy to Death

#14

Post by MaulingMonkey »

computator wrote: post #2

> Thinking is an activity too—don’t undervalue it. Make time and space for it in your daily work schedule. This is why I find it impossible to work effectively in open-plan offices. I'm often looking off in to space, thinking. But I feel compelled to make clickety-clack noises on a keyboard, continuously and unproductively, lest people think I'm not working.

> But I feel compelled to make clickety-clack noises on a keyboard, continuously and unproductively, lest people think I'm not working.

Easier said than done, but some unsolicited suggestions:

1) Acquire the self confidence that your results will speak for themselves, appearances be damned. 2) Realize your coworkers also value thinking, and recognize it properly. 3) Realize your coworkers are probably too busy worrying about their own appearances. 4) Any busybodies not too busy worrying about their own appearances can see through your unproductive busywork anyways ;) 5) Consider journaling / take stream-of-concious notes / mind-mapping. Might slow your thinking down some, but might compensate for memory some too.

Re: Busy to Death

#15

Post by scandox »

Another aspect to this is that many people (hand sheepishly up) allow other people to determine their priorities both in work and life.

It's much easier to react to external pressure by giving way than it is to pursue internally set goals while resisting external pressure.

Re: Busy to Death

#16

Post by ven_bug_trap »

c22 wrote: post #7
computator wrote: post #2

> Thinking is an activity too—don’t undervalue it. Make time and space for it in your daily work schedule. This is why I find it impossible to work effectively in open-plan offices. I'm often looking off in to space, thinking. But I feel compelled to make clickety-clack noises on a keyboard, continuously and unproductively, lest people think I'm not working.

You should install a covert clickety-clack noise maker in your keyboard, or just under your desk.

Nah, just bring a Model M to the office. Everyone will hate you, but a couple of words an hour will secure their belief in your productivity.

Re: Busy to Death

#17

Post by Swizec »

shubhamjain wrote: post #11

I am often bemused how people actually end up being so busy. At times, I have felt insecure about my "free time" — sort of how I might be running behind people who are constantly occupied. But, taking a closer look, you can see how a lot of work that busy people do is something that can be reduced, optimised, and even completely done away with. Checking emails, and reports, taking calls that need not be taken, endles…

Work less, do more.

But this SMBC explains perfectly why many of us try to stay constantly occupied http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2011-04-25

Re: Busy to Death

#18

Post by w0utert »

averagewall wrote: post #5

In jobs where I feel sure I'm doing my job well, I overtly show when I'm not busy. Walking around, playing video games, chatting, even working on my own business (with boss's permission) etc. I see other people worriedly noticing when the boss is coming or being afraid that the guard will notice they often turn up late in the morning. But it doesn't bother me at all. I'm doing what I was hired to do and there's no ne…

Being lazy is a good personality trait to have if you are a developer, as long as you channel your laziness to be more efficient and get more done in less time. This frees up time you can spend thinking, relaxing, or reading/learning about stuff not directly related to the immediate task at hand. Over the long term you will learn more, stress less, produce fewer bugs, etc.

The people I value the most as co-workers, who have the most diverse skillset, and who are able to tackle the most complex problems, are exactly the people who are the least 'busy', who spend the least amount talking, typing, going to meetings, don't complaining how busy they are, how many hours they've worked, etc.

Re: Busy to Death

#19

Post by TeMPOraL »

Looking busy can sometimes be a defense mechanism for protecting your own space and peace of mind. When your cow-orkers, friends and family see you Very Busy, they'll be less likely to interrupt you all the time with irrelevant bullshit.

In fact, this works extremely well, because people usually respect the fact that someone is working. On the other hand, when they see you not working, they think it gives them the right to acquire your time.

Sure, a socially savvy person could probably handle all of this by simply talking to others and asserting the boundaries. But for the rest of us, this simple trick of looking busy can help reduce the amount of human interaction to a remotely healthy level (and for many people, myself included, even the act of assertive rejection is hugely mentally taxing).

Re: Busy to Death

#20

Post by TeMPOraL »

computator wrote: post #2

> Thinking is an activity too—don’t undervalue it. Make time and space for it in your daily work schedule. This is why I find it impossible to work effectively in open-plan offices. I'm often looking off in to space, thinking. But I feel compelled to make clickety-clack noises on a keyboard, continuously and unproductively, lest people think I'm not working.

This is exactly why some people look busy - to make time and space for thinking by projecting a "I'm busy - don't interrupt me" shield around themselves. I know I'm guilty of doing that quite a lot - some people are focus magnets, i.e. they have a supernatural skill of sensing when you're trying to think, so that they can come and interrupt you with bullshit requests.
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