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NOTESNO. 15

Busy is a symptom, not a badge

Busyness is a signal that priorities compete, decisions drift and ownership is unclear.

When teams tell me they're busy, I don't hear productivity.

I hear friction.

Busyness is usually a signal that priorities compete, decisions drift, and ownership is unclear.

People compensate with effort.

Hours increase.

Progress doesn't.

Across organisations, the pattern repeats:

structure enables speed.

Lack of structure creates exhaustion.

The answer isn't asking people to do more.

It's removing what doesn't belong.

Where does work feel harder than it should right now?

New entries, when there’s something worth saying.

New entries only.