1 MINUTE: INSIGHT OF THE WEEK
Why Doing Nothing Feels So Wrong
I'm terrible at doing nothing.
Last Sunday, I had a rare empty afternoon. No deadlines, no calls, no obligations. I could have sat on my couch with a book. Instead, I reorganised my kitchen cupboards, answered emails that could have waited, and started "just quickly" working on a presentation.
By evening, I felt vaguely productive but oddly unsatisfied.
There's an unwritten rule operating in most of our lives: busyness equals worth. Sociologist Jonathan Gershuny found that since the 1980s, busyness has become a status symbol. Being perpetually busy signals importance. You're in demand. You matter.
This has rewired our relationship with rest. Doing nothing doesn't feel like self-care. It feels like failure.
But here's what we're missing. Neuroscientist Mary Helen Immordino-Yang discovered that when we truly disengage, our brain activates the default mode network, essential for processing memories, creative problem-solving, and self-understanding. This network only activates during genuine downtime. Scrolling social media doesn't count.
This is Behavioural Design at its core: the context we create shapes how we feel and act. The guilt you feel when sitting still isn't a signal to get moving. It's an outdated rule protesting.
How to use this insight:
If you're a leader: Watch how you signal busyness to your team. If you send emails at midnight and wear exhaustion as a badge, you're designing a culture where rest feels like failure. Model boundaries visibly.
If you struggle to rest: Next time you feel that nagging "should be doing something," just notice it. Name it: "Ah, there's the busyness rule." You don't have to fight it. Recognising it loosens its grip.
If you're designing work policies: Unlimited holiday sounds generous but often backfires, people take less because there's no permission structure. Minimum holiday requirements work better. People need explicit permission to rest.
Free Masterclass with SUE co-founder and author Tom de Bruyne, in Dutch and English
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Free masterclass: From AI tools to AI advantage
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0.5 MINUTES: NOT TO BE MISSED
Why We Overestimate How Busy Others Are
When researchers asked people to estimate how busy their colleagues were versus themselves, something odd emerged: everyone assumed others were busier.
Psychologist Silvia Bellezza calls this the "busyness paradox." We broadcast our own busyness as a status signal, assume others' signals are genuine, and conclude we're somehow falling behind.
The result? A collective anxiety based on a shared exaggeration.
Nobody is as busy as they seem. Including you.
Here's to the stubborn optimists, who unlock the power of Behavioural Design for optimising work, life, and everything in between.
Until next week,
Astrid Groenewegen
Co-Founder of SUE | Behavioural Design Academy, Author of 'The Art of Designing Behaviour' / 'De Kunst van Gedrag Ontwerpen' and ‘De Gelukscode’.
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