The Performance and Discourse of Busyness

Reading a couple of articles today about the pervasive culture and practice of busyness. This comes on the heels of a Chronicle article about the number of hours worked by those in academia, but indeed the scourge of busyness pervades more than just academic culture. Here is Hannah Rosin's write up in Slate which focuses on Bridget Schulte's book Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play when No One Has Time. 

Just so much YES to this article and this sentiment. The performance of busyness most likely operates as a grab at social currency (though it could be other things: unjustly or unfairly distributed responsibilities, social and emotional pressures and challenges, etc.). But in general, most talk about our lives in terms of "the overwhelm"---now even our students.Why is this? Or why this illusion? 

The point is we can stop talking about being busy and that just in itself will make us less busy.  This is a toxic cultural impulse, and one we need to help spare our students from especially.