“Busywork has a double negative impact,” Renee Cullinan says. “It consumes time that could be better spent on other things, and it drains energy. Longer term, it breeds a work culture that values activity over results and busyness over effectiveness.”
Source: Fast Company, January 27, 2017.
Cullinan says busywork often fits one of these three scenarios:
- You don’t know why you’re doing what you’re doing.
- The effort seems disproportionately high compared to the results, such as polishing an internal PowerPoint presentation for the tenth time.
- The team is running in place, with long “reply all” chains, boring status meetings, or missed deadlines.
INSIGHTS: Consider using this article to start a conversation at a team meeting. Some activities remain important and time draining because we’ve always done them that way. Discuss how to work more efficiently and effectively by eliminating unneeded processes and activities.