Busy as Bees, but only that busy
Chuck Martin has another work-life article at Darwin. Busy as Bees talks about the importance of having the right balance of busy-ness in life. Here's the conclusion:
People at work tend to take all the time there is available to complete a task or a set of tasks. A small number of tasks will tend to get accomplished in the same amount of time that a much larger number of tasks takes by the same people in the same organization in the same situation.
However, accomplishing more within the same amount of time can be much more satisfying to the individual who really does know when he or she is performing up to their personal limit.
When very busy, the result can be businesspeople operating at the top of their game.
The article also warns about being overloaded. Essentially, there is some sweet zone where you are doing the right amount of work: not too little to make you bored, and not so much that you are swamped and working 15-hour days.
2 Comment(s)
said:
I'm glad someone asked this question. The sweet spot is elusive, partially because it is different for everyone. But another reason is that once we've found it - that is when I'm at the right level of busy-ness for me - life continues happening around me and the spot shifts. This is why it is so important to force myself to take the time on a regular basis and evaluate if I am doing the right things for me.
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KJolt Memberships
So what is the 'sweet spot'?
I've been working 50+ hour weeks for close to a month now. It's very hard, I think, to have a good perspective on how productive you are at this higher level, partially because (a) you are too busy to step back and (b) the assumption that since you are working more, you must be more productive.