Why the hell are we so busy all the time? This disease called “back-to-back meetings” is spreading faster than Covid’s Delta variant.
In today’s hyper-connected, competitive world, some busyness is understandable, but a lot of it is artificially created. And the biggest culprit is — insecurity.
For example, when a call is set up, the whole building gets invited. After all, why risk looking like a fool if the boss calls for someone who is not on the call?
So on most calls, people are just bored, checking their WhatsApp under the table, and occasionally make a ‘value add’ comment.
For the same reason, when sending emails or forming a committee — we include the whole universe.
The theme is always the same: Play safe. And I am also guilty of it.
A few years ago, in my previous startup, we were burning cash. To figure out the next steps, I should have just told the team, “Stay at home. We will call you when we have work to do.”
Stopping random activity would have helped us clearly see the way forward.
In fact, that is exactly what happened when Covid forced us to shut down our office. Without any ‘busyness’, I read books, reflected on my experiences, and from that quiet and solitude emerged the idea of HabitStrong.
Silence is powerful. Don’t fear it — embrace it.
– Rajan