Could the pandemic be the end of doing the most?
How the worldwide shutdown affected our work habits - and why we should lean into it.
by Nina Ace
When did doing the most become the bare minimum? So many boss ladies-in-training find themselves sprinting toward an invisible badge of honor by way of 80+ hour work weeks and 10pm inbox maintenance.
We all have work habits, good and bad. And whether you were running yourself ragged or finally settling into your groove, the pandemic—and the shut down that came with it—caused a big disruption in the way we work. For some it meant even fewer boundaries, while others found balance for the first time. No matter which way you fall, the pandemic presents a rare opportunity to confront busyness and reframe what productivity means to us as individuals. Let’s dig in.
Getting Back to Busyness
Busyness is maybe the most prominent contemporary American ideal. It’s the whole more = better thing, with a side of “I need to be #1.” Passing down this mindset through generations has resulted in a widespread lack of balance and intention. Historically, this mindset is what helped make the United States the most productive country in the world.
A study out of UC Berkeley finds being seen at work outside normal work hours makes you look more “dependable” and “committed.” Dr. Sahar Yousef, cognitive neuroscientist and faculty member at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, explains why office overachievers secretly love the rat race. “We have over time correlated this high octane pace with feelings of value,” says Yousef, who helps leaders and businesses hone their focus and productivity through a neuroscientific lens. “The more people ask and demand of me, the higher my self worth climbs because I am an important person.”
And if you find yourself in the presence of more and more bosses and leaders who fail to delegate, you can blame busyness culture for that, too. “If I delegate or eliminate or automate something, it means I don’t need to do it,” she says. “Which means, I’m not important anymore.”
If there’s some truth in there for you, then you know how easy it is to merge into this fast paced, no-boundaries lifestyle. Brigid Schulte, the director of the Better Life Lab at New America and the New York Times–bestselling author of Overwhelmed, offered up an explanation on a recent episode of the goop podcast.
“To be a human and to be alive is painful because we aren’t really quite sure what we’re doing here. We don’t know what comes next. The only thing we know is that it’s brief. Busyness covers some of that up and makes it possible to not think about it because you have other things going on. I think what’s part of what’s driven busyness and avoidance during human history. What’s different now: it’s faster, it’s more tech inflected, it’s 24/7 and it’s become more of a boastful badge of honor. So much so that I don’t think that we even take a moment to stop to think about why we’re drawn to it and why we feel guilty when we’re not busy.”
Here’s the thing: it’s not entirely our fault. “This busy way of life has been intentionally designed by tech companies—it’s the science behind our smartphones and constant stream of notifications,” Yousef says. “When we don’t bake in ‘off’ times, our connectivity takes up all our cognitive space.”
Does Busy = Productive?
According to Yousef, productivity is “doing the right things in an efficient way—not doing the MOST things or doing the wrong things.” After a certain amount of hours, you get a diminishing return on your productivity. One study from Boston University found managers couldn't tell which consultants worked 80 hours, and which ones simply pretended to. Even more, the lead researcher couldn’t confirm the employees who worked fewer hours actually accomplished less, or that the workaholic employees accomplished any more.
Still feeling justified inside that hamster wheel? Sure, it might be working for you in a mid-level position. But if you have your eye on the C-Suite, you won’t get there by constantly executing. Strategy, according to Yousef, requires cognitive space for creativity, logic, and informed choices. “The best leaders are the ones that are able to take a step back and make an intentional choice,” she says. “If you don’t have the mental quiet to do so, you’re at risk for being reactive instead of proactive and choosing the wrong things to execute. That’s not productivity.”
Plus, excess cortisol is linked to a myriad of long term health effects that can zap productivity. Symptoms include weight gain, headache, difficulty concentrating, and high blood pressure, among many others.
How the Pandemic Affects Your Habits
The pandemic had a major impact on the context of the work habits (good or bad) that we’d painstakingly established. In her book, “Good Habits, Bad Habits,” Dr. Wendy Wood cites context, repetition, and reward as the three bases of basic habit formation. “When working from home, laid off, or teaching our kids, we are forced to act in new ways that are different from our habit repertoire,” she explains.
You know that overwhelmed feeling you had when trying to do the most basic tasks during the early months of quarantine? That’s because previously autonomous tasks suddenly required a decision. “Decisions draw on executive control and involve effort,” says Wood. “In contrast, habits allow us to get on with the basic, repeated parts of our day without making those tiring decisions.” Doing so in a pandemic, she says, is extra taxing.
What’s Your Pandemic Productivity Style?
Most working adults, according to Yousef, fell into one of two pandemic productivity styles:
Everyday I’m (Still) Hustling: Some busyness masters found themselves without any boundaries—like social engagements, scheduled gym time, and even the daily commute. The result: grinding even harder with no set work hours.
Welcome To My Wake Up Call: Once sheltered in place, these folks succumbed to forced reprioritization. The pandemic became the strength and inspiration to focus on what’s truly important while still fulfilling their job responsibilities.
Hit the Reset Button
Regardless of what camp you find yourself in, a universal truth from Yousef rings true: “Professionally or personally, the only way to live life at a high level is to be able to intentionally choose how you spend your time.”
While the pandemic challenged our habits early on, it remains a rare opportunity to reframe our behaviors—work-related and otherwise. “Without our typical contexts to cue our habits, we are freed up to make decisions about how we want to act,” Wood says. “We now have a window of opportunity to reevaluate our daily habits and routines and make changes if we decide that they were not working for us.”
Take a scientific approach and log your habits. “It’s self awareness,” says Yousef. “We cannot change what we do not know or understand.” You might start with:
How many hours you’re sleeping
Daily mental health tracker
Time spent on social media
Working hours
Habit tracking via bullet journal is a creative and, for some, meditative way to incorporate habit tracking into your daily routine. But no matter how you do it, Yousef suggests doing so for at least two weeks. From there, calculate the results and ask yourself: is this really helping me reach my goals in and out of work? If you’re not sure, keep collecting that data. If the answer is no, make some changes and log again.
And when you find those pieces of data, er, habits that put you on the path toward success, you’ll have the information and the clarity to carry them into your post-pandemic life with intention.