The busy trap: Why doing less achieves more

Success = doing less

It was 1605 when William Camden first made the case for busyness. Yes, Bill, the early bird does catch the worm… But how is that relevant? We don’t eat annelids. And Benjamin Franklin, time isn’t money – even if your face is on it.

Many famous productivity proclamations were made before gravity was even discovered. Should we really trust a take on hard work from someone who didn’t know why apples fall from trees? Probably not.

Work Work Work Work

While TV, computers and the internet are credited with transforming our lives, clocks may be the most underrated game changer.

The Industrial Revolution brought with it the mass production of timepieces; streamlining transport, labour, and ocean navigation. This one invention disconnected us from lives spent waking, working and sleeping with the sun. Instead, we began to orchestrate our days around the movement of two hands. And we’ve never looked back.

Welcome to hustle culture, the modern definition of success. Countless books, articles and podcasts glorify productivity; espousing new ways to cram more activities into less time.

Busyness isn’t next to godliness

Scientists believe humans are the only creatures on earth able to detach ourselves from our surroundings and daydream. However, instead of embracing this unique evolutionary advantage, we've collectively fallen into a busy trap. Turns out, we’ll do almost anything to avoid being alone with our thoughts, including giving ourselves electric shocks.

Unconvinced? Remember the pandemic global experiment in slowing down? During this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to chill, most of us did the opposite. In fact, for office workers, the average workday increased by 48 minutes.

High performers switch off

In a knowledge economy, we no longer swap hours for money; we swap performance. And, performance is directly correlated to idleness. Watch any elite athlete, and you’ll notice their incredible ability to shut down. Those top
tennis players sitting with heads in their hands? They’re not exhausted; they’re switching off – a technique widely embraced to supercharge their game.

Your brain is a high-performance athlete. It’s not just your muscles and lungs that need conditioning, but your prefrontal cortex. Responsible for everything that makes us high functioning, organised individuals, your frontal lobe is doing a big job.

By the end of the year, that little lobe is probably telling you it’s tired. But far from curling up with a good book on holiday, many of us take on the additional mental load of shopping, organising, and planning. The outcome? Less holiday and more just a different kind of workday.

How to do nothing

Winding down doesn't mean ramping up cleaning, maintenance or entertaining; it means deep relaxation. Ironically, doing nothing takes planning, so our holiday gift to you is taking that task off your hands:

1. Schedule your last workday

Use this ‘wind down’ day to get on top of admin and put a full stop to your work year. This is your chance to clear your plate and mentally walk away from the office. Use some simple calendar hacks to get your to-do list out of your head. Then shut down your computer and forget it even exists for a while.

2. Celebrate

We’re huge fans of Friyay Wins: reflecting on what went well over the last week. Well, you’ve just completed 52 of them. You made it, so celebrate! Pour a delicious beverage and toast yourself. It’s not just a feel-good moment, this acknowledgement tells your brain it’s time to rest.

3. (Temporarily) embrace manic mode

Struggle to pivot to peak relaxation? No stress - tick off some small tasks you’ve been procrastinating on: clear out a cupboard, weed the garden, or review your overflowing wardrobe. It’s natural for your mind to unwind like this, so roll with it - for a short while. One thing you shouldn’t do, though - get a head start on next year. That’ll come soon enough.

4. Banish guilt

When you think, “I should…” or “I must…” – shut it down! You shouldn’t. Recharging is essential for productivity, even if it means being a less-than-perfect parent! Holidays can be a minefield for boundaries. If you need a reminder: it’s not your job to take on other people’s problems or their work – the most powerful word in your vocabulary is ‘no’.

5. Practice pausing

Give yourself proper do-nothing-at-all downtime – even for a few minutes (or 30 seconds) at a time. It takes practice, so start small! Plug in a great podcast (or your fave music), lie back and close your eyes. And before you go setting a whole new batch of New Year’s resolutions, remember to make sure you’re setting them for the right reasons.

Less is more
The solution to an overloaded plate is never adding more to it. Our brains need rest to perform at their best - an investment in downtime will pay dividends.

Here's to kicking off 2025 as a refreshed and reinvigorated you.
Now close your computer.