Over the past few weeks I’ve been tired, no, tired isn’t the word. Dog tired, exhausted, spent? That’s getting closer but there’s something missing. While these words capture some of the physical feelings of this time of year, the only word that I can come up with to describe the expectations and accompanying behaviors is busy. That word is too vague for my liking because I think there’s a huge difference between being occupied versus productive versus over-extended. That’s why I was so excited when I came across a blog post which hit close to home for me. I’ve made the infographic below to visualize Lopp’s seven levels of busy ranging from “Not Busy” to “Unsustainable.” I’ve added my suggestions on what to do at each level on the scale (as much a reminder for myself as for any of you). When someone asks me how I’ve been lately, instead of just saying busy, I think I might start giving a number instead! On a serious note, this scale might be useful in mental health to help clients monitor their work/life balance and for clinician’s to keep tabs on their own (or their supervisee’s) risk for burnout. Outside of the therapy space, businesses might consider looking at this scale and monitoring their teams to support productive, healthy workplaces.
