"The Burden of Busyness: Why People Act Overwhelmed" - Dr Rob McKee

The Burden of Busyness: Why People Act Overwhelmed

We’ve all heard it and perhaps said it: “I’m just so overwhelmed right now" or "things are so crazy right now." Note that months can pass and their attitude about life never changes. Are things always "crazy?" Are people justified in being always overwhelmed?

It rolls off the tongue with almost a sense of pride, like being constantly stressed and frazzled is a badge of honor in today’s hyperactive world. People rush from task to task, schedule to schedule, inbox to inbox, and feel the need to voice just how buried they are. Yet often, the source of people's overwhelm attitude isn’t the workload itself, but how they manage their lives and their mindset.

Let’s be honest: many of the things that overwhelm us shouldn’t. They’re not Herculean challenges. Often, they're normal life responsibilities, work assignments, family duties, personal goals. So why do so many people consistently act overwhelmed? What are the costs of this behavior, especially for those in leadership positions?

The Dangerous Illusion of Being Consistently Overwhelmed

When we act overwhelmed, it sends a dangerous message to people trying to follow or serve with us on teams. People are watching you. Your emotional tone and behavioral patterns become templates for others to follow.

An overwhelmed leader often:

• Creates chaos instead of calm.

• Encourages urgency over strategy.

• Loses credibility because of emotional inconsistency.

• Builds an environment of stress rather than one of productivity.

This chronic sense of pressure often leads to reactive decision-making, poor planning, and a breakdown in communication. Teams begin to mirror their leader's frantic pace, leading to burnout and disengagement. Leadership becomes survival, not influence.

Tony Robbins said, "Where focus goes, energy flows." When a leader’s focus is on everything going wrong, they drain the team’s emotional reserves and shift attention from solutions to problems.

So what’s behind this generation's epidemic of overwhelmingness? Why do so many crumble under the weight of everyday life?

Here are the five core causes of people feeling overwhelmed, even when our to-do lists aren’t objectively massive.

1. Lack of a Disciplined Schedule

The average person sleeps too little, wakes up too late, and spends hours every day on entertainment that doesn’t move their life forward. Social media, Netflix binges, online rabbit holes; time slips away quietly, yet we loudly proclaim we're "too busy."

When people don’t protect their time, they surrender it to distractions. A lack of structured habits creates chaos. Staying up too late scrolling through your phone or watching endless entertainment causes you to wake up groggy, which leads to procrastination, poor energy, and, eventually, an emotional sense of being overwhelmed.

The truth is, most people don’t need more hours in the day. They need more discipline in how they use the ones they have.

David Allen, productivity guru and author of Getting Things Done, emphasized this clearly:“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”

In other words, if your schedule is reactive and cluttered, your brain becomes overwhelmed, not because it’s overworked, but because it’s over-scattered.

2. Sloppy Work Habits and Lack of Excellence

One of the lesser-discussed reasons people feel overwhelmed is because they don’t do their tasks well the first time. Rushing through assignments, ignoring details, or doing the bare minimum creates mental clutter. Incomplete work leads to repeated work. And repeated work drains energy.

There’s something incredibly stabilizing about approaching tasks with care, precision, and an internal standard of excellence.

People who practice excellence don’t just do good work, they also build confidence. And confidence removes stress.

Sloppiness, on the other hand, erodes self-respect. It leads to internal dialogue like:“I should have done better.”“This isn’t going to be received well.”“I hate my own work.”

It’s no surprise that these thought patterns lead to feelings of being emotionally buried.

Doing good work, and doing it with pride, lifts emotional weight off your shoulders.

3. No Time Dedicated for Spiritual Disciplines

Many people feel overwhelmed because they never unplug from the world and plug into something deeper. Spiritual renewal isn’t just a religious concept, it’s a human necessity. We need stillness, silence, and reflection. We need to begin our days centered.

Prayer, meditation, morning solitude, journaling, whatever form it takes, spiritual renewal is the reset button the soul desperately needs. Without it, our internal battery depletes. And as our soul grows weary, everything feels heavier.

Leaders who skip this discipline often lead from a place of reaction rather than wisdom. They may be effective for a season, but they burn out quickly because their leadership comes from a dry well.

When you begin your day centered, your outer world can swirl in chaos, but your inner world stays calm.

4. Habits of Negativity

If your internal dialogue is one of stress, frustration, and complaining, your emotional life will reflect it. Many people feel overwhelmed not because of their circumstances, but because of their language.

They constantly say things like:

• “I can’t do this.”

• “This is too much.”

• “Everything’s falling apart.”

• “I’m just not cut out for this.”

Over time, these phrases become self-fulfilling prophecies. Proverbs 18:21 says,“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

The words we speak—especially to ourselves—either breathe life into our capacity or drain us of it.

People who spend more time complaining than speaking life grow weary. They become blind to solutions. They lose perspective. Even small tasks feel like mountains, not because the task is hard—but because their spirit is weak.

Faith, positivity, and gratitude don’t remove your problems. But they give you the strength to face them.

5. No Life Plan or Focus on Future Goals

Perhaps the most significant cause of emotional overwhelm is living without clear direction.

When people don’t have a plan for their life, every task feels random and disconnected. They work without passion. They move without purpose. And that disconnection creates a persistent anxiety.

When life lacks meaning, everything feels harder.

In contrast, when you have long-term goals—when you know what you’re working toward—you gain energy. Even hard days feel bearable because they fit into a bigger picture.

As Tony Robbins says,“People are not lazy. They simply have impotent goals—that is, goals that do not inspire them.”

Having a vision for your future makes daily work meaningful. Without it, the same tasks feel empty and exhausting.

Leaders without a vision lead others into stagnation. But leaders with a clear purpose inspire action, clarity, and hope.

So...What’s the Solution?

If you often feel overwhelmed, it may be time for an audit of your habits. When you begin to correct these root issues, you’ll notice something powerful: life becomes lighter. Tasks don’t shrink, but your strength grows. Your clarity returns. Leadership becomes proactive, not just reactive.

People who stop living in a state of constant overwhelm aren’t just more productive, they’re more peaceful. They show up differently. They lead differently.

So...the next time you hear yourself say, “I’m overwhelmed,” or "things have been so crazy" or "I'm just so busy right now" pause....consider... ask yourself: Is it really my task-load… or is it my poor habits?

If you want to grow as a leader, start by disciplining your habits, guarding your thoughts, and clarifying your purpose. A calm spirit can handle a chaotic world. And that's the kind of leader people want to follow.

• RLM