Listen "Rethinking Busyness (With Help From HBO's The Pitt)"
Episode Synopsis
Try as we might, many of us can’t shake the overwhelming sense that we're just too damn busy—that feeling that there’s something we’re forgetting about, somewhere we should be, some person we should be checking on. Busyness is sticky. And that’s because busyness is more than the amount of stuff we have on our to-do lists or the appointments on our calendars. Busyness is social, structural, and even political—though our go-to “solutions” for it tend to be individual. This episode examines busyness on a deeper level—and in doing so, offers ideas for how navigate it with more care and grace. And I can think of no better way to start than by talking about The Pitt. First, we’ll explore a nuanced theory of what busyness is and why we experience it. And then, we’ll distinguish between two forms of busyness and why differentiating between the two matters for how we navigate our responsibilities. Finally, I have a few recommendations for how we can approach limiting the harms of busyness without isolating ourselves.Footnotes:Read the written version of this episode.The Pitt on HBOThe Social Life of Busyness by Clare Holdsworth"Hers" by Barbara Ehrenreich in The New York Times (1985)Midlife by Kieran Setiya
★ Support this podcast ★
More episodes of the podcast What Works
Drifting Toward the Status Quo
23/10/2025
We Can't Quit Turning Leisure Into More Work
21/08/2025
The Spectacle of Competence
14/08/2025
Make It Make Sense
31/07/2025
EP 499: Reduction in Force
17/07/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.