Have you been ‘too busy’ recently? There’s a reason for that.

Why your corporate job has you feeling 'Too Busy' (and what that means for your writing dreams)

Picture this: It's 7 PM on a Tuesday. You've been in back-to-back Zoom calls since 9 AM, your Outlook calendar looks like a game of Tetris, and you've got 103 unread emails. You feel exhausted. You feel important. You feel... productive? 

What you're experiencing is what I like to call "The Great Busyness Delusion." It's that warm, fuzzy feeling of accomplishment you get from crossing off tiny tasks on your to-do list, all while your big dreams gather dust in the corner of your mind. 

Productivity vs. Busyness 

In the corporate world, busyness is often mistaken for productivity. It's why your manager gives you that approving nod when you mention you were up until midnight reformatting that PowerPoint for the fifth time. But here's what they don't tell you in those mandatory time management seminars: 

1. Productivity is about impact, not hours logged. 

2. Busyness is often a form of procrastination in disguise. 

3. Your company loves it when you conflate the two. 

Why? Because a busy employee is a compliant employee. One who's too exhausted to question why they're spending their creative energy on quarterly reports instead. 

Photo by Daniel Höhe on Unsplash

The Substack Dream and the Productivity Reality 

Now, let's talk about that Substack dream of yours. You know, the one where you're crafting witty, insightful posts from a sun-drenched café, your loyal readers hanging on your every word? That dream requires a different kind of productivity—one that's focused, intentional, and deeply connected to your values. 

But. 

Your current corporate-induced busyness is actively working against that dream. Every time you prioritize inbox zero over writing that sample post, you're choosing busyness over productivity. Every time you stay late to "get ahead" (spoiler: you never do), you're sacrificing the energy you could be pouring into your writing. 

Breaking Free 

So, how do you break free from the busyness trap and reclaim your productivity for your writing? Here are a few strategies: 

1. Redefine productivity for yourself: What would a truly productive day look like if it was centered around your writing goals, not your company's? 

2. Practice "productive procrastination": The next time you're tempted to check your work email for the hundredth time, write a paragraph for your Substack instead. 

3. Set boundaries: Learn to say no to non-essential tasks at work. 

4. Steal time from your employer (ethically): Use your lunch breaks, commute, or even boring meetings to jot down ideas for your Substack. It's not time theft; it's creative redistribution. 

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So the next time you find yourself drowning in busywork, ask yourself: Is this moving me closer to my writing goals, or am I just spinning my wheels in the corporate hamster race? 

It's time to get truly productive.