Monday, April 4, 2016

Why Busyness Doesn't Impress Your Boss

There is a tendency in America to flaunt a strong, near martyr level work ethic. This has created a culture of busyness that actually negatively impacts productivity, breeds contempt of work, and destroys work life balance. Bosses prefer - everyone for that matter - prefers to work with well-rounded, capable and kind people.

Here are a few examples of busy behavior that can have a negative impact on your work, your reputation and your wellbeing.

1. You send or respond to communication after work hours. This demonstrates a lack of respect for other people's time (including your own.) In all likelihood it won't be read until the morning, so send it then.

2. You don't say no. It is a good thing to be a person that is willing to take on new challenges, it is another to collect projects for volume. Saying no when you should protects the projects you already have and shows that you can manage yourself.

3. You don't sleep. This is bad for everyone, but mostly you. Choosing work over sleep can have a long lasting impact on your overall health.

4. You are always stressed. This doesn't make you look important, it makes you look incompetent.

5. You don't delegate. No man is an island and there are no great managers that don't delegate. This is management in practice - give others opportunities, monitor their progress and provide feedback and praise as necessary.

6. You're boring. Or to be more direct, get a life! Working hard is something you can do without sacrificing your hobbies, health and relationships.

7. You're "too in the weeds". Take a note from Ferris Bueller, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it."

Take a moment to reflect on your work style and level of "busyness". Make changes today to get more out of life and improve your performance. 

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