The work may be necessary. Do I need to do it?

I used to look at a task and think I could do it better than the other leaders around me.

Sometimes I may have been right. But I was answering only one question: Can I do this? I was not asking whether my doing it would create the best outcome.

I have started pausing before I take on work that another capable leader could own. At first, that can feel like leaving something undone. Then I see the person make a decision, take responsibility, and sometimes do the work better than I would have.

That pause has changed how I think about BUSYness.

Most of us are doing work that seems necessary. We may have good reasons for starting it. But work can keep its place in our day long after we have stopped asking what it achieves. We stay occupied, and the outcome becomes harder to see.

I am trying to make that question part of my normal practice: What needs to be different because this work happened?

The answer does not always tell me to stop. I may need to continue. I may need to change the work, make a decision I have been avoiding, or give someone else room to lead. What matters is that I notice the choice before habit makes it for me.

The same question works for a recurring meeting, a report, or a task everyone assumes must continue. If we changed or stopped it, what would actually happen? Who would be affected? If we cannot say, we need to look more closely at why we keep doing it.

I think an awareness loop begins there. Notice the work. Name the outcome. Make a choice. Then look at what happened, so the next choice is better informed.

Pick one recurring activity this week and try it. You may decide to keep it exactly as it is. You may discover that it needs a different owner or a different shape. Either way, you will have made the decision with more awareness.

That is one practical way I am learning to address BUSYness.

#DhandheKaFunda: A necessary task still needs the right owner.