The Busy Trap – Why overwork culture is ruining everything

~8 min read

Remember that courtroom scene in A Few Good Men? “You can’t handle the truth!” No, not that one. The one where attorney Kevin Bacon breaks out the Marine standard operating procedures and asks Corporal Barnes to point to the section of the book that sanctions “code reds” – referring to the Marine hazing ritual at the heart of the trial. Corporal Barnes is, of course, unable to point to this chapter because “code reds” are not in any Marine procedure.

“No further questions,” says Kevin Bacon. Defence attorney Tom Cruise then grabs the procedures from Kevin Bacon.

“Corporal,” says Tom Cruise, “would you turn to the page in this book that says where the mess hall is?” Corporal Barnes is unable to point to this page because it also doesn’t exist. Tom Cruise continues, “I don't understand. How did you know where the mess hall was if it's not in this book?” 

“Well, I guess I just followed the crowd at chow time, sir,” replies Corporal Barnes. 

This scene lives rent-free in my head. When you’re learning the ropes in a new job, there has never been a more fitting description than “I followed the crowd at chow time.” This is how workplace practices (the good, the bad, and the truly ugly) are perpetuated despite the rules and procedures. New employees pick it up as “the way we do things here.” None of this is written down anywhere. We just follow the crowd at chow time. 

Okay, keep this context for a second while I bring up the actual topic of this article. 

Oxygen Masks and Empty Cups

“Put your oxygen mask on first.” It’s a self-care saying that means you can’t help anyone else until you help yourself first. You can’t pour from an empty cup. You can’t give what you don’t have. Pick your idiom. Take the time to care for yourself, rest, recharge, then get back to it…repeat. Nothing in nature blooms year-round, so why on Earth would we believe ourselves to be the exception? 

But what I really want to talk about is how this self-care cycle lands for you in your experience at work. In whatever industry you work, at whatever size company – from small to large to giant – how does this self-care ethos fit in at your workplace?

Speaking personally, when I was new to my job, I found myself in way over my head. So, I took the time to get comfortable, gradually gain experience, and ask for help. Except I did absolutely none of these things – and I mean not once. I immediately worked excessive hours, put myself in situations that terrified me, eventually experienced crippling burnout, and never once showed that I was struggling. In an ironic twist of fate, I was doing this in a job that very literally advised our company’s employees (particularly new employees) to do the exact opposite. The moral of this fun story is no one told me I had to work this way. I just followed the crowd at chow time.

And follow the crowd I did. I wore overwork as a badge of honour. And it got me exactly nowhere but down. So, I decided to break up with busy.

The “Busy Trap”

The underlying issue here is that we still inexplicably equate busyness with productivity. Rest is seen as unproductive. People unwilling to sacrifice their time and energy above and beyond are seen as slackers. This has been entirely disproved over and over (and over). And studies continue to show us that people who rest, take breaks, use their vacation, and fit their work into regular hours are actually more productive. 

So, why are we still flying from meeting to meeting, task to task, and working all hours of the week? And why are we promoting this behaviour as the standard? Anyone who has worked this way knows it’s mostly a game of optics – who works the most or who can be seen working the most? But we know this leads to burnout, sick leave, and high turnover rates. In fact, we are demonstrably less productive and efficient working this way. 

This all contributes to what’s known as the “busy trap.” And we likely won’t find it in any workplace rulebook or procedure. 

Overwork and Grind Culture 

This mentality is by no means unique to any industry or company. It’s merely reflective of the social and work values of Western culture. Although at the end of the day, we are all responsible for ourselves – for our own rest, wellness, and mental health. But what happens when prioritizing rest and mental health might risk, say, losing a promotion opportunity or raise?

The answer lies in leadership. Every company is swimming against the overwhelming current of our society’s overwork and grind culture. It is a culture that is fundamentally exhausting our workforces, undermining business profits, and generating crippling turnover rates. But leadership sets the tone. New employees simply follow the crowd, and the cycle perpetuates. Brigid Schulte, author of Over Work, says that rewiring the busy trap is a process that starts at the top. “The culture is set by what the leadership does. If you work crazy hours, even if you [tell employees] to go home and be with their kids, no one will do that. They’re going to work how the boss works.”

Creating a productive culture of self-care starts when leaders commit to putting their oxygen masks on first. When that happens, following the crowd at chow time might start to look a whole lot different.