ROUNDTABLE REPLAY: Tangible Tips for Overcoming Busyness
Monday, December 19th, former NDSU professor, Dr. Ann Burnett, led us through her extensive research on busyness and the effect of the fast pace of life on our well-being and relationships.
Dr. Burnett began her deep-dive into busyness after being struck by the repetitive language in Holiday cards extolling how busy each family had been over the past year.
Though bragging about our busyness has become a badge of honor in our culture, our over-emphasis on busyness isn’t benign. Many people are experiencing higher levels of stress, anxiety, and overall unhappiness due to the pressure to “keep up” and prove how busy we are.
Dr. Burnett gave us the poignant reminder that:
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
When we let our lives be consumed with busyness and give into the pressure to fill up our time in order to feel worthy and valuable, we miss out on the great gift of deeply enjoying our lives, experiencing quality time with friends and family, and appreciating how much we already have.
Listen in to the Roundtable Replay to learn how to reclaim your sense of peace and calm and redefine your relationship to time.
KEY TAKEAWAYS: Busyness and Communication in Healthcare
Dr. Burnett shared great insights from her research on busyness and interpersonal communication during Monday’s Leadership Roundtable. Here are key takeaways from the conversation:
Why are we so busy?
· More hours spent working/economic progress
· More challenges with work/life balance
· Less leisure time
· Technology
What is communicated?
Out of habit, we often make sure to tell others “I’m so busy.” It may be the excuse we give when we decline an invitation, we can say it in passing to keep the conversation moving, and we can say it as a means to prevent additional tasks being assigned to us.
However, when we are quick to say “I’m too busy” what we unintentionally communicate to the other person is “you aren’t worth it / I don’t have time for you” which can negatively impact our relationships and connection to others.
How can we address chronic busyness?
Here are a few ways we can combat this addiction to busyness:
· Be aware of how you talk about time
· Change the way you communicate about time
· Don’t compare yourself to others; embrace your choices
· Don’t waste time
· Think about time differently
· Admit when time isn’t a problem
· Start taking care of yourself
· Volunteer
· Connect with worship, higher power
What about busyness in healthcare?
· Be present: Work your hours then leave with confidence.
· Let go: Figure out what you can give up.
· Include: Treat everyone with respect and nurture a positive culture.
· Inform: Transparently share what you know with the team.
· Inquire: Consistently solicit input from the people you lead.
· Develop: Nurture and support the professional development and aspirations of staff.
· Recognize: Express appreciation and gratitude to employees in an authentic way.
· Say no: This can be very freeing!
Click here to listen to Dr. Burnett’s tips on busyness and communication and download the “Busyness and Communication in Healthcare” handout.
TRY THIS: Reframing Busyness during the Holidays
As you work to reframe your relationship to busyness and reclaim a sense of ownership and intention with your time, try the exercises below:
An Exercise for the Holiday Season
-Take a look at the Holiday cards you receive this year and note the language you see. How many cards use language about the family being so busy?
-What are you sharing in your Holiday letters to family and friends? Do you feel the pressure to over-emphasize how busy you’ve been?
-Pay attention to how you reply when people ask you “How are you doing?” Try a different response than “Great, but so busy!” and note if you experience a more meaningful interaction as a result.
SAVE THE DATE! January Leadership Roundtable
January 24 | 12:00pm – 1:00pm | Skyline Room
Rachel MK Headley, PhD, a TedX speaker, Forbes coach, author, and former NASA scientist will help us develop a Growth Mindset as we launch the new year and prepare for the move to the HCMD.
Dr. Headley will walk us through different personality styles and approaches to change and give us tangible tools on how to lead each personality type through transition.
Click here to RSVP. See you then!