HEALTH & WELLNESS

The cult of busyness: Have we mistaken a packed calendar for success?

By Ria Bhatia
25 September, 2024

We’ve grown to confound busyness with business, with victims of the toxic hustle culture labelling it as ‘productivity’, but is it really so?

If there was a buck for every time someone said, “I’m busy”, Gen Z and millennials—most shrouded under the pressures of the hustle culture—would be millionaires. Once upon a time, being busy was just one part of life; today, we’ve developed an addiction to being busy.   Whether it’s the glorification of being drowned in work in Bollywood movies like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Guru, and Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, the societal expectations of having a corporate job as portrayed in Wake Up Sid, Bewakoofiyan, and Tamasha, or simply romanticising the notion of one’s life revolving around work in movies like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani—even popular culture directly or indirectly perpetuates the idea of ‘work is worship’. 

However, we’ve grown to confound busyness with business. Anxiety-inducing calendars, never-ending responsibilities and tasks, and an overarching target to do more, all seem to induce a high of sorts. Victims of the toxic hustle culture label this as ‘productivity’, but is it really so? We attempt to find out.

Does an addiction to being busy equal one’s social status?

Last year, Narayana Murthy, founder of Infosys, suggested youngsters to clock in 70 working hours a week against  the typical 40-hour workweek to excel in a competitive economic landscape. While Murthy’s comment did spark debate, when success stories such as his are published, go-getters presume overworking is the key to becoming successful. 

“In a city like Mumbai, if you aren’t working 14-15 hours a day, you’ll be shunned because the hustle culture has trapped us in the wrong ways,” says Krishna Thakkar. Image: Dupe

Beauty journalist Anjan Sachar believes it is important to grab opportunities in the early stages of your career, especially if you work as a freelancer (later). Image: Dupe

Twenty-eight-year-old beauty journalist Anjan Sachar believes it is important to grab opportunities in the early stages of your career, especially if you work as a freelancer (later). “Having been in rather hectic full-time jobs before the pandemic, I didn’t know what to do with my free time during the lockdown. I started a cookie business, as a result. Soon after, I began to explore other facets of my work, besides my primary job (writing). Call it the hustle culture or living in Mumbai, I was always looking for the next opportunity to make use of my downtime, and not just for financial viability.” 

Today, when faced with the question, “Why do you hustle?”, is there even a right answer? “It feels like everyone is constantly chasing a goal so superficial, they let their work completely consume them. In a city like Mumbai, if you aren’t working 14-15 hours a day, you’ll be shunned because the hustle culture has trapped us in the wrong ways,” says 33-year-old Krishna Thakkar, a corporate banker. “I am constantly busy (or so say the people around me), but if given a chance, I wouldn’t want to work beyond my hours; I deserve that time off. Unfortunately, I’m always trying to meet deadlines.” 

“IN A CITY LIKE MUMBAI, IF YOU AREN’T WORKING 14-15 HOURS A DAY, YOU’LL BE SHUNNED BECAUSE THE HUSTLE CULTURE HAS TRAPPED US IN THE WRONG WAYS”
Krishna Thakkar

According to psychologist Sanam Devidasani, we’re told that being busy would lead to success, as early as in school. “Being busy becomes a badge of honour, especially for parents. Schools stress upon academic brilliance, creating a competitive environment. Furthermore, to get into good colleges, students must participate in extracurricular activities which leave very little time to rest and just be a kid.” We apply this deeply ingrained value system at work too, developing personality traits of a workaholic. “Constantly working, being available round the clock, and always saying ‘yes’ to more work, is highly rewarded in the corporate culture, and employees tend to give in, owing to the rising economic pressures,” states Devidasani.

Glamourising a toxic work culture is prevalent in India more than anywhere else. According to 45-year-old Rajesh Rupani, an IT leader based out of Dubai, “The belief system in the sub-continent has been a direct correlation of output to effort. Do note that effort was always measured in terms of the ‘number of hours’ without factoring productivity. While the lens is changing rather rapidly, old-school management philosophies still exist.” While social media often propels you to become a hustler, its downsides are seldom revealed. “There are endless posts about the ‘rewards’ of those constantly working; their mental health could be down in the dumps but their posts always reflect the opposite,” says Devidasani. 

The difference between being busy and being productive

Being busy and being productive are often conflated, says Hansika Kapoor, a psychologist at Monk Prayogshala. “Capitalist frameworks in society have contributed to associating busyness with being successful, dedicated, and ambitious, and as features of ‘driven’ individuals.” Manasvi Satra, a therapist at The Mood Space, adds, “Sometimes, being busy can serve as a coping mechanism for individuals to avoid dealing with underlying issues such as anxiety, loneliness, or a lack of purpose.”

“Being constantly busy, or moving from one task to another without rest or relief, can lead to burnout,” says Hansika Kapoor. Image: Pexels

Toxic work culture has high expectations for employee availability and responsiveness, often extending beyond traditional working hours, points out Manasvi Satra. Image: Pexels

Attaching your self-worth to an accomplished—or, even worse, unaccomplished—to-do list isn’t a good idea. Image: Pexels

“Capitalist frameworks in society have contributed to associating busyness with being successful, and as features of ‘driven’ individuals,” says Hansika Kapoor. Image: Pexels

The rat race in a conventional corporate set-up also encourages employees to constantly keep busy. “Toxic work culture has high expectations for employee availability and responsiveness, often extending beyond traditional working hours. This can reinforce the idea that being busy is synonymous with being a valuable employee,” says Satra. In concurrence, Rupani shares, “Keeping busy with a specific task, given you are not that efficient at it, is very different from taking up more work, doing it efficiently, and fast-tracking your growth within an organisation. The subtle difference is someone doing it to gain larger exposure versus someone doing it to show more hours of work, and thus placing themselves into a more favourable competitive position.” Even a 2023 survey corroborated that about 43 per cent of Indian employees spend time at work simply appearing busy. 

Devidasani attributes this to the hollow perception of productivity. “Productivity is often associated with constantly being on the move, having a packed schedule and having no time to rest—except rest can be productive too.”

The adverse effects of being perpetually busy

According to a report of the Confederation of Indian Industry, 62 per cent of employees in India experience burnout, which is three times the global average of 20 per cent. Normalising being perpetually overworked in toxic work environments is currently back in the spotlight, as the mother of 26-year-old Anna Sebastien Perayil held her workplace, Ernst & Young, responsible for her daughter’s untimely demise. “Being constantly busy, or moving from one task to another without rest or relief, can lead to burnout,” says Kapoor. 

“CAPITALIST FRAMEWORKS IN SOCIETY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO ASSOCIATING BUSYNESS WITH BEING SUCCESSFUL, DEDICATED, AND AMBITIOUS, AND AS FEATURES OF ‘DRIVEN’ INDIVIDUALS”
Hansika Kapoor

“Being stimulated all day can affect mental health, creating stress and anxiety. Without downtime, our brains freeze into a state of constant arousal, making it hard to relax,” shares Devidasani. “Not being able to relax can impact our cognitive functioning.” An overstimulated mind also impacts our emotion-regulation capabilities adversely. “When there is no time to pause and reflect, even minor inconveniences feel overwhelming, and our response can be disproportionate, resulting in mood swings and irritability, which could impact relationships as well.”

Over the years, Sachar’s approach towards work has slightly altered. “Today, I am equally happy to stay in bed and watch a comfort show. As I’ve started focusing on my well-being this year, I’ve realised the importance of slowing down as well—I don’t want my body to give up juggling between my work and social commitments.” For someone who has been occupied with a barrage of work and a thriving social life, not being as busy—professionally or personally—could feel lonely. “I’ve known people who sensed a vacuum in the absence of both work and friends. I think you can only feel lonely if you don’t have a solid social circle.”

While it’s easy for isolation and depression to seep in when you get sick from overworking, creative professionals are at a higher risk of experiencing a dissociation from their work altogether. “Creativity thrives on mental space and reflection, allowing room for ideas. When individuals are constantly busy, they lack the time for inspiration, which stifles their creative fuel. The pressure of busyness can diminish curiosity and connection to passion, while the relentless pace can lead to chronic fatigue and burnout, further hindering their abilities. Finding balance then becomes essential,” explains Satra.

What does a productive mindset look like?

“Effective productivity involves planning, prioritising, and tackling tasks based on their importance, ensuring they’re completed efficiently. This approach minimises physical and emotional strain, allowing us to reach our goals without sacrificing our health and happiness. Ultimately, it’s about working smart, not just hard,” shares Satra. 

Ticking off things on your never-ending to-do list can certainly give you a dopamine hit. However, attaching your self-worth to an accomplished—or, even worse, unaccomplished—to-do list isn’t a good idea. You can recognise “good productivity” by setting goals and priorities frequently, and mindfully scheduling time for breaks, advises Kapoor. “For instance, if you set five tasks for yourself to be completed in a day, and finish them with time to spare; you don't need to immediately move on to task number six. It can be deferred to tomorrow (as you originally intended).”

For Sachar, it is important to avoid confusing hard work with toxicity and vice -versa, considering some amount of stir is a precursor to learning and growing professionally. “A well-organised work day, or a standard 40-hour work week, which is well organised into actual productive tasks, professional socialising, and active learning is sufficient to bullet-proof your relevance at work,” concludes Rupani.

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