The Cult of Busyness

Ask someone how they're doing, and there's a good chance the answer involves the word "busy." Busyness has become a social currency — a signal of importance, relevance, and worth. We wear our overloaded schedules like badges of honour. But somewhere in the relentless accumulation of commitments, tasks, and obligations, something gets lost: the quality of what we actually produce, and the quality of how we actually live.

This piece is a case for the opposite approach — not laziness, but essentialism: the deliberate practice of doing fewer things with significantly more depth, care, and intention.

More Isn't More

There's a seductive logic to doing more: more output should mean more results. But this assumes that effort and outcome scale linearly, which they rarely do. In reality, spreading attention across too many things produces mediocrity across the board. The 100th task on your to-do list doesn't get the same quality of thought as the first three.

Cognitive science has consistently shown that multitasking is largely a myth — what we're actually doing when we "multitask" is rapidly switching between tasks, each switch carrying a mental cost. The result is shallower engagement with everything.

What Essentialism Actually Means

Essentialism — popularised by author Greg McKeown — isn't about doing less out of laziness or disengagement. It's about making a deliberate trade: giving up the trivially many to concentrate on the vitally few. It asks a simple but demanding question: What is the most important use of my time and energy right now?

This requires something many people find uncomfortable: saying no. No to meetings that don't require your presence. No to projects that seem interesting but dilute your focus. No to social obligations that drain more than they give. Each "no" is, in effect, a "yes" to something that matters more.

The Quality Argument

Consider two scenarios:

  • Scenario A: You write six articles, respond to 40 emails, attend three meetings, and start a new side project — all in one week.
  • Scenario B: You write two articles with real depth and revision, have two focused conversations, and make meaningful progress on one project.

Scenario A produces more volume. Scenario B produces more value. In most fields, value beats volume. One genuinely great piece of work does more for your reputation, your relationships, and your own sense of satisfaction than a dozen rushed ones.

The Life Application

This doesn't only apply to work. The same principle holds in personal life. A small number of deep friendships tends to be more sustaining than a large network of shallow connections. A few interests pursued with genuine curiosity are more enriching than a checklist of trendy hobbies. Fewer, more meaningful experiences often leave deeper impressions than a full calendar of events.

None of this means retreating from life. It means being selective about what you let in — and then showing up fully for what you've chosen.

A Practical Starting Point

If you want to experiment with doing less, better, try this exercise: list every current commitment, project, and recurring obligation in your life. Then ask, for each one: If I wasn't already doing this, would I choose to start it today? The ones that give you a clear "yes" deserve your best energy. The ones that earn a hesitant "probably" are candidates for removal.

The goal isn't an empty calendar. It's a full life, intentionally built.