I am not one to write about business. Not because I don’t think it’s valuable to have opinions about it, but just because I don’t think I have many important things to say. My working life thankfully has been pretty simple, and I am not about to pretend to have magic insights to improve yours. I do come across a certain type of person though and I would like to warn you against becoming one.

The busy fool is easy to spot. They are often very gifted in the position they are in, but need to lean on everyone else around them more than they should do. Their demeanour leads you in to the vicinity of the busy fool because they are always busy with something. It is only when you get closer to them that you realise that numerous things are going on, but very little is achieved.

There is very little that can be done to help this scourge of your business because they have very regularly worked their way into a more senior position. Unfortunately, this is the cause of their affliction, and their lack of output doesn’t seem to matter any longer. Without the clear indicators that come with lower positions, they have replaced productivity with busyness and imploded into themselves.

Implied stress from workload is all of their doing. You see, the busy fool is a business mime act. Displaying all the outside actions of achievement and high output, yet under the surface there is no substance to their bluster. Identifiable by last-minute preparations for every task, pleads for help on basic things they have no time to complete, and constant instance that they have too much to do.

Do not fall into the trap by convincing yourself you are productive when you are just busy.