In the News: The Great Year-End Push – Why Your “Busyness” Is Lying to You
Jeremy Hannah
Co-Founder, Coach & Global Talent Solutions Leader
“I used to confuse busyness with success, believing that if I was working over 60 hours a week, with a publication count rising and a grant dollar amount that kept climbing, I was doing it right.”
The final stretch of the year can feel like a high-stakes race. You’re pushing to hit annual targets, clean up project backlogs, and meet a frantic pace of professional demands, all while balancing the social and personal pressures of the holiday season. The result? A perfect storm for burnout.
We often wear our exhaustion as a badge of honor, believing that an “always-on” approach is the key to success. But what if that belief is the very thing holding you back from achieving a truly meaningful and lasting impact? As Dr. Shannon Sauer-Zavala argues in her Psychology Today article, “Why Saying ‘No’ Is Your Biggest Strategic Flex,” the path to true success and fulfillment isn’t paved with a relentless “yes,” but with a thoughtful and intentional “no.”
This single question transforms your decision-making process from a reactive, time-management exercise into a proactive, values-based strategy. As numerous sources in talent development and leadership suggest, this is a critical differentiator for high-performers. Harvard Business Review, for example, has long advocated for focusing on “important” work over merely “urgent” work. When you operate from a place of clarity about your core values and goals, you are far less susceptible to what’s often called the “urgency trap” (i.e., the tendency to fill your days with low-impact tasks simply because they feel pressing).
This principle is even more critical at the end of the year, when the “urgency trap” is amplified. With so many last-minute requests, meetings, and projects, it’s easy to get bogged down in what looks like productivity but is, in fact, simply the illusion of busyness without meaningful results. By setting clear, values-based boundaries, you create a buffer against these distractions. This allows you to channel your energy toward high-impact initiatives that will genuinely help you and your team achieve those annual goals.
“Instead of asking, ‘Do I have time for this?’, I started asking, ‘Does this align with the impact I want to make?’ This change was a game-changer for me.”
It may seem counterintuitive, but learning to say “no” actually makes you a more consistent and reliable professional. When you overcommit, you dilute your efforts across too many tasks. The result is a scattered, frantic approach where you are more likely to miss deadlines, deliver subpar work, and ultimately let people down.
“I found that the more I said no to things, the more energy I had for the projects that truly mattered and the more creative and impactful my work became.”
Forbes and other business publications consistently highlight that an inability to say “no” leads to a culture of overwork and under-delivery. On the other hand, a leader or team member who is confident in their boundaries becomes known for their focused, high-quality work. When you say “yes,” it carries weight because people know you have the time and energy to give that project your full attention. This builds trust and strengthens your professional relationships far more than constant, half-hearted compliance ever could.
This strategic approach is particularly vital as the year winds down. By protecting your time and energy, you ensure that your final contributions are not only on time but also of the highest quality. This allows you to finish the year strong, cementing your reputation as a dependable and impactful contributor.
The Viante Talent Solutions Prioritization Tool: Your Free Resource
We know that moving from a mindset of constant “yes” to one of strategic “no” can be a challenge. That’s why we’re excited to offer you a free resource to help with this process. The Viante Talent Solutions Prioritization Tool is designed to help you visually filter your tasks based on their importance and urgency. It provides a simple framework for identifying which tasks align with your high-impact goals and which are simply “busy work” that can be delegated or eliminated. This tool complements the psychological strategies of setting values-based boundaries by giving you a practical, actionable way to implement them in your daily work.
You can find the Viante Talent Solutions Prioritization Tool by clicking here.
Your Path to a Recharged New Year
As we approach the holidays, remember that your well-being is not an afterthought—it’s the foundation of your ability to perform, lead, and make an impact. Burnout isn’t a badge of honor; it’s a warning sign. By embracing the strategic power of saying “no,” you are not only safeguarding your mental and physical health but also ensuring that you consistently deliver your best work.
Take this final push of the year as an opportunity to practice a new way of working. Focus on your most critical goals, protect your time fiercely, and give yourself the space you need to truly recharge. When you clear the noise and focus on what truly matters, the ripple effect on your career, your team, and your life will be profound. By making these changes now, you’ll be well on your way to a more consistent, impactful, and burnout-free new year.
