The Cult of Being Busy

 I've been thinking lately - why do we all work so many hours?

The 8–9 hour workday began over a century ago during the industrial revolution, when humans were essentially operating factories and machines manually. Shouldn't working conditions have evolved by now?

We invented computers, software, automation, AI - all supposedly to make life easier and free up human effort. And yet somehow, despite all these technological advancements, modern work culture still expects people to stay "busy" for most of the day. 40–45 hour work weeks are somehow the base expectations. 

I think about this more and more as my experience as a professional grows.

We have Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, GenAI and countless tools that drastically reduce effort and time. Tasks that once took days or weeks can now be finished in hours. Yet workplaces still look down upon working only 3–4 productive hours a day. Anything less than endless engagement is treated almost like an absence.

Why is it so important for everyone to remain occupied for 8–9 hours every single day?

Why do people take pride in working overtime, or on weekends and holidays? Why is exhaustion worn like a badge of honour?

I feel that over the past century, we have unconsciously created a social structure where, regardless of technological progress, human labour remains the most exploited resource. Poor economies full of desperate workers only fuel the corporate machine further.

And yet we live in an age that glorifies competition. An age where meaning is often tied to relentless labour and outperforming others.

Why do we only value becoming "better" through working more? Why must people constantly showcase how hardworking they are just to justify their existence in a company? It's not as if billion-dollar corporations will collapse because one exhausted employee decided to go home at 4 PM.

Somewhere along the way, work stopped being merely a means of survival. It became identity. Morality. Self-worth.

A hardworking person is seen as disciplined, respectable and ambitious. Someone who rests too much is viewed suspiciously, almost as if relaxation itself requires justification.

And perhaps that is because modern society quietly conditions us to believe that our value must be earned continuously - a condition that worsens deeply in adulthood.

Careers become more than jobs. They become social identities. Entire personalities form around professions. People proudly announce how overworked they are, almost like battle scars proving importance.

"I barely slept." "I've been working nonstop." "I'm so busy these days."

These statements are no longer just complaints. They are status symbols.

Busyness has become the modern display of significance.

Capitalism naturally reinforces this cycle because economies benefit when humans tie their self-esteem to productivity. The ideal worker is not simply someone who works hard. It is someone who emotionally depends on work for validation. Such a person will willingly sacrifice health, relationships and inner peace because slowing down feels psychologically uncomfortable.

But humans were never designed to derive meaning from output alone.

Somewhere in this endless race to prove our worth, we forgot that life also consists of slowness, relationships, curiosity, art, silence, love, boredom and reflection.

The tragedy is not that people work hard. Meaningful work can be deeply fulfilling.

The tragedy is that many people no longer believe they deserve respect, rest or even existence without constant productivity.

And why don't we try becoming better at other things too? Becoming a better hobbyist. A better parent. A better friend.

I love self-improvement. I genuinely enjoy trying to become a better version of myself every day. But I do not want every waking moment of my existence to become an endless performance of productivity at work.

At the same time, I also understand the flaws in my own argument. A system built entirely on freedom and leniency only works when society itself becomes responsible enough not to misuse it. Any model that genuinely prioritizes human wellbeing requires a population that accepts that freedom with maturity, decency and self-discipline.

Unfortunately, we do not yet live in a society like that.