On Busy Work

I'm thinking through the concept of busy work and I want to share some of my thoughts with you. Before I really started thinking through this topic, I might have guessed that I was not a fan of busy work because you've probably heard me talk about my desire for meaningful, deep connections, meaningful conversations, and meaningful work to do in this world. I surprised myself by realizing that there are aspects of busy work that I believe can be of value.

Typically busy work is a task that is given to us or that we take on ourselves in order to avoid being idle or bored. It can be work we do that is very low risk and not very productive, but it gives the impression of being busy or important., As I thought through this, I realized that in the context of my creative practice, my mental and wellbeing practice, and the ways that I operate in the world, busy work may have something to recommend it.

Consider our culture - it's very hustle and bustle. Fast, fast, fast. It's instant gratification, quick turn, get that thing DONE. In this context, I believe that there is a place for busy work.

The things I advocate to other people and that I teach in my workshop are very much in the realm of mental health and wellbeing.

Busy work might be of value because in that world that I just described where everything is moving so quickly and we are primarily focused on the outcome or the product, there isn't much space - time, appreciation, or mental energy - left for thinking deeply for branching off into areas that are not immediately and obviously contributing to the deliverable. It also doesn't leave a lot of room for winging it or for innovation.

I think that in our lives and creative practices, we very much should leave room for busy work. One example in my own creative practice is something I call art papers.. Art papers are the foundation of my creative work but they are something that I do almost mindlessly most of the time. I always have a stack of them on my work bench, and I work through them regularly.

I layer them, I move them about. I use all of the creative practices and techniques that I talk about in my workshops for these art pages. I'm not using them for anything right away. In fact, they may need to go through that stack multiple times before they actually become something that I consider finished or that I would actually pull out and incorporate into some of my artwork.
Some might view this as busy work, but that doesn't mean that the work that I'm putting into them is not of value, and it doesn't mean that the things I'm learning as I do that, or even the things I'm thinking as I work through that process aren't desirable or of value. In order for our brains to think creatively, we need some margins, some blank space and some room for thinking.

I think it may also have a function in the reduction of stress or anxiety. Human beings don't operate very well in a consistent or constant environment of uncertainty. And so if there are times when we have been working on so. You know, with heightened urgency. During times of crisis or stress, busy work can operate as a buffer or a mechanism to restore a level of certainty t o punctuate those uncertain spaces.

It gives us a breather. It gives us time to realize that there are things we're in control of. We're doing this work, maybe it's repetitive, maybe it's almost plug-and-play or push the button. It allows our brains to engage in a way that gives us a renewed sense of certainty in the world.
The message I'm bringing to you is, consider opening up some space for busy work, particularly if you are the kind of person who is:

- very productive 
- goal oriented
- critical with yourself or your work
​- dealing with anxiety

I'm not advocating for lethargy. I'm not advocating for mediocrity. I'm not saying that we want to fill our lives with rote tasks and busy work.

Of course not. That's actually the antithesis of what I want for myself and what I want for you, but I am saying that if we can find a good balance between our deep and engaging.