One of the most persistent myths in project environments is that busyness equals effectiveness.

It doesn’t.

I’ve worked on projects where calendars were full, inboxes were overflowing, and teams were exhausted — yet delivery was barely moving.

Why?
Because activity without intent creates noise, not outcomes.

Busy teams often:

• Attend too many meetings with no decision authority

• Produce reports that no one reads

• Re-plan work instead of executing it

• React to issues instead of resolving root causes

Busyness becomes a defence mechanism.
If everyone looks busy, no one gets questioned.

Progress, on the other hand, is measurable and uncomfortable. It forces prioritisation. It exposes trade-offs. It requires saying no.

True progress answers questions like:

• What decision did we make this week?

• What risk did we reduce?

• What dependency did we resolve?

• What outcome moved closer?

If a week passes without clear answers to those questions, the project may be busy — but it isn’t progressing.

The irony is that the most effective delivery phases often look calmer. Fewer meetings. Shorter reports. Clearer authority.

Progress requires restraint.
Busy rewards chaos.

The role of leadership is not to create motion. It’s to create movement in the right direction.

One of the most persistent myths in project environments is that busyness equals effectiveness.

It doesn’t.

I’ve worked on projects where calendars were full, inboxes were overflowing, and teams were exhausted — yet delivery was barely moving.

Why?
Because activity without intent creates noise, not outcomes.

Busy teams often:

• Attend too many meetings with no decision authority

• Produce reports that no one reads

• Re-plan work instead of executing it

• React to issues instead of resolving root causes

Busyness becomes a defence mechanism.
If everyone looks busy, no one gets questioned.

Progress, on the other hand, is measurable and uncomfortable. It forces prioritisation. It exposes trade-offs. It requires saying no.

True progress answers questions like:

• What decision did we make this week?

• What risk did we reduce?

• What dependency did we resolve?

• What outcome moved closer?

If a week passes without clear answers to those questions, the project may be busy — but it isn’t progressing.

The irony is that the most effective delivery phases often look calmer. Fewer meetings. Shorter reports. Clearer authority.

Progress requires restraint.
Busy rewards chaos.

The role of leadership is not to create motion. It’s to create movement in the right direction.