Having Too Little Time and Too Much Time Causes the Same Problems.
Grand Central Station, NYC
Working for a few years as an operations leader in one of the largest call centers for financial firms, I learned an interesting fact that can be applied to all of life. Too busy and too slow have different symptoms but the same effect.
Let me explain. There are times in all jobs, but especially at call centers when there is so much to do (or so many calls coming in) that you go all day with no real break. Even when you step away for a few moments you know in your head that you need to get back because there are so many calls on hold. You just don't get any mental or emotional down time. Burn out sets in quickly and people will quit their jobs.
The opposite is not much better. At one point we set up a team to be sure that our most valuable clients would never wait on hold or wait for their call to be answered. I won't get into the call center math here, but basically it means that through much of the day the employees have no calls coming in. They sit there, read books, talk to each other and get bored. That boredom quickly causes burnout and employees quit their jobs.
In both cases - too much time on your hands, and no time on your hands - led to burnout, dissatisfaction, and ultimately leaving the situation.
There have been studies done on this. Cassie Mogilner Holmes was a guest on the "Hidden Brain" podcast and talked about his. She and others found that people with too little time were unhappy. That makes perfect sense to most of us. We sometimes feel like we can't get caught up. There is never enough time. What they also found was the same was true at the other end of the spectrum. Those with too much discretionary time were also just as unhappy.
Very busy people dream of relaxing and having all the time they want. Vacations, retirement, weekends, etc. But when that day actually arrives it doesn't solve the issue and they can easily become frustrated. Other studies have shown that the cognitive function of those who are retired stayed strong in the people who stayed busy but kept a balance.
The work we do, either professionally or because of our own passions, helps us feel purpose. Time to rest helps us stop to smell the roses and recharge. We need both. Balance is important.
