How to Look Busy

Many of us complain about being too busy-and about not having enough time to do the things we really want to do. But has busyness become an excuse for our inability to focus on what matters?
According to Neeru Paharia, a marketing professor at Arizona State University, time is a sort of luxury good-the more of it you have, the more valuable you are. But her research also revealed that, for many Americans, having less time and being busy can be a status symbol for others to notice. And when it comes to the signals we create for ourselves, sociologist Melissa Mazmanian reveals a few myths that may be keeping us from living the lives we want with the meaningful connections we crave.
Music by Dylan Sitts (“On the Fritz”) and Rob Smierciak (“Slow Money,” “Guitar Time,” “Ambient Time”).
This episode was co-hosted by Becca Rashid and Ian Bogost. Becca Rashid also produces the show. Editing by Jocelyn Frank and Claudine Ebeid. Fact-check by Ena Alvarado. Engineering by Rob Smierciak. The managing editor of How to Keep Time is Andrea Valdez. Write to us at [e-mail].
Listen and subscribe to How to Keep Time on your favorite podcast player: link.chtbl.com/howtokeeptime-...

[@kban77]

great talk! I've noticed this change anecdotally around 2002. I used to be able to schedule and plan things, then, not so much. Everyone was too busy. It seemed to time right around when everyone started using cell phones..?

[@StephanieMG105]

If someone uses shopping for flatware as an excuse to avoid friends, that person simply doesn't like their friends very much. I am busy just like everyone else, but if it's an event that I'm looking forward to, I will prioritize it. Some friends are just a chore to be around. You don't have to cut them out of your life, you just prioritize dental surgery over hanging out with them sometimes.

[@vagueratcooltrain4266]

So timely. How do I know? Ut was hard to make myself sit still long enough to hear all of this.

[@alexzicker]

It's a class thing: Americans all come from servant origins and they still act like their ancestors did, act busy just in case the Lady, or the boss, are looking at them.

[@divingduck9]

then how do u explain the penal colony descendants downunder, as they resisted servitude & were shipped off to exile...

[@alexzicker]

the prisioners that resisted servitude and were sent downunder were settled under the guard of their gaolers @@divingduck9

[@liquidsunshineiam]

That’s a really lame and gross exaggeration, and does that also include all the native Americans? 😏

[@luchewigg168]

Listening to this while I send emails and do like 4 other tasks at the same time eep

[@vagueratcooltrain4266]

UT? I meant, It. Sorry. Didn't have the time to edit.

[@iamzuckerburger]

DULF saves lives!

[@alexwilder8315]

Is anyone else seeing the weird optical illusion of the leftmost dark blue circle endlessly growing 🤔what is going on there