Being busy has become a status symbol in society. How often do you reply with “busy,” when someone asks how you are, or hear people practically bragging about how booked their calendars are?

But are the activities filling our schedules actually leading to something meaningful?

In his article titled “Busy Is Not a Badge of Honor,” Brian de Haaff says: “There is a difference between busy work and meaningful work. As Thomas Edison once wisely put it, ‘Seeming to do is not doing.’”

As young professionals, we spend time building our careers, socializing, getting involved in the community, learning the ins and outs of “adulthood,” and, for some, starting families. It can be overwhelming and exhausting, but it doesn’t always have to be that way.

Check in with yourself to see if you are giving your time to busy or meaningful work. “Busy is not a badge of honor. It only leads to greatness if you are working for a purpose and making progress towards goals that serve it,” as stated in the article.

There is only so much time in the day, so we encourage you to use yours efficiently, and give to what matters most to you.

Read the full article, with tips for working meaningfully, at bit.ly/busy-not-badge-honor.

This article was published in the Future Leaders & Entrepreneurs Exchange’s (FLEX) March 2019 edition of the FLEX Your Ideas (FYI) Newsletter. Find more young professional profiles here.