Do You Have Busy Disease?

Being busy isn't necessarily a problem. Some of the most exhilarating times in our lives happen when we are busy doing something that matters deeply to us. But what happens when busy stops being temporary and becomes the way we live? When there is always another meeting, another email, another deadline, another person who needs something. When an empty space in the diary feels strange. When we become incredibly good at responding, producing, caring and delivering, but leave ourselves very little space to think, recover, imagine or even ask whether everything we are doing still matters. In this episode of the Aspire Podcast, I explore what I call Busy Disease, the point at which relentless busyness becomes our normal operating system and we start to lose something much more important than time, we start to lose freedom. In this episode, you'll discover: How to recognise the difference between being busy and having Busy Disease, including some of the warning signs that relentless busyness has simply become normal. Why Busy Disease isn't just an individual problem and how our workplaces, families, technology and wider systems can reinforce it. Why capable, ambitious people can be particularly vulnerable to it, especially when being needed, useful and productive becomes tangled up with identity and self worth. Research on why women experience higher stress around meeting overload and virtual working. Five prescriptions for Busy Disease, moving beyond simplistic advice about managing your diary to reclaiming your freedom. This isn't about becoming less ambitious, doing nothing or opting out of a life that matters to you. It's about asking a much bigger question: Who owns your time? About Dr Sam Collins Dr Sam Collins is a speaker, author and founder of Aspire. For more than 25 years she has worked with women around the world to help them lead change, navigate transitions and create lives and careers with greater meaning, impact and freedom. She is the creator of 1 Million Change Leaders by 2030 and the Choose Freedom movement, which encourages women to reclaim their agency, shape the future and make a difference in the worlds they touch. Connect with Dr Sam Collins Website: drsamcollins.com LinkedIn: Dr Sam Collins Instagram: @drsamcollins YouTube: Dr Sam Collins TikTok: Dr Sam Collins Books: Available on Amazon New episodes released weekly.