I was reflecting on that nickname the other day and made a connection I don’t know if I ever realized.

I’ve always been a busy bee.

As a toddler. As a kid.  As a teen. As an adult. One of my constants is I am always busy.

I have read a lot lately on how people who once viewed “being busy” as a source of pride, are now realizing that the “culture of busy” is now being seen as it is, exhausting and dangerous.

It is definitely something I have been looking at in myself and doing some “reframing.”

I don’t necessarily think being busy is a danger. Some people (guilty!) love a “to-do” list and getting things done.

For me, it is the expectation that you HAVE to be busy to be important, or valued, or to be contributing enough, that is the real culprit here.

• Companies who have expectations that employees are available 24/7, not always said but implied.
• People who curate content to ensure people know how busy they are while unintentionally (or intentionally) making someone else feel “less than.”
• Anytime you feel you HAVE to be busy to be taken seriously. 

All of these things, and more, lead to a toxic need to be busy to keep up.

I know I felt that back in the day, still do sometimes. Although by nature I like to keep busy, there was a time when I felt if I wasn’t busy OR if I didn’t show I was busy, I was failing.

Anyone else?

I am pretty confident I am not alone in this feeling.

But here is the thing…

Being busy doesn’t mean you are a success. Being busy doesn’t always make you happier. Being busy doesn’t have to be the norm.

So what can we do?

We can do what works best for us.

For me being busy is part of my core but I need to dial it back sometimes. As one leader once told me “There is no work/life balance, sometimes work is busy, and you lean in. Sometimes it isn’t, and you need to take that downtime.” I am learning to take that downtime.

More important than that, I am learning not to feel guilty for taking that downtime when I am not busy. That is probably the hardest for me as a recovering workaholic, people pleaser, and perfectionist. I am a work in progress, but I am trying.

That’s all we can do, right?!

I hope that more businesses and leaders are taking the notes from the pandemic and making the necessary changes in the workplace including not promoting (intentionally or not) a “Culture of Busy.”

I also hope more people are realizing that success doesn’t come from doing all of the things. The definition of success means different things to different people.

For me, it means: working hard but taking breaks because rest is productive. Thinking outside of the box because we don’t have to always do things the way we have always done it. Making mistakes because that means you are trying. Most importantly learn from those mistakes by having an always learning mindset.

The barometer for success for me now is – am I happy?

I do that by living my purpose, maybe not every second of every day, but most of the time.

I will always be proud and honour my nickname Do-Bee. But I won’t let being a “busy bee” define me. There is nothing wrong with being busy as long as you are putting as much value into rest time. That is exactly what I am learning to do.