Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X & Boomers All Have Completely Different Ideas Of What It Means To Be Busy

What it means to be busy has changed over time. Young people have very different distractions now than older generations did at their age.

Older generations have a pretty practical idea of what it means to be busy that’s based on their actual responsibilities. For younger generations, busyness has come to mean what happens outside of what’s necessary. One thing that hasn't changed is that almost everyone feels like they’re way too busy nowadays.

Boomers think that being busy means working hard.

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What’s interesting about boomers’ definition of busyness is that it’s closely linked to their productivity. That’s not really surprising since this generation has an incredibly strong work ethic and places a high value on their careers.

Instead of thinking of being busy as the extra things that come up in life, boomers think it’s all about their ordinary to-do list. Being busy means something less complicated to them, which could be helpful for young people to learn from when they’re constantly being pulled in multiple directions.

There are downsides to this straightforward definition, though. Boomers get stuck in a cycle of thinking they need to be busy to be productive, so they can be high performers at work. That can easily turn into toxic productivity that leads to burnout.

Gen X thinks being busy is normal and they don’t mind it, even though it could be hurting them.

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The thing Gen X has always been best known for is their independence, which grew from being latchkey kids who had to be responsible for themselves. This made them think they could handle pretty much anything. They weren’t afraid of being busy.

Gen X also has the mindset that they can have it all. They’ve worked hard to create a healthy balance between their careers and their families so their professional lives don’t take over their personal ones. Of course, trying to excel in multiple areas of life usually makes people feel even busier.

This generation accepts busyness as a normal part of life. They’ve mostly embraced it instead of fighting it, giving them a more positive perspective on it. The only problem is that expecting constant busyness makes it easy for them to get overwhelmed.

Millennials treat being busy like it’s a badge of honor and are paying for it with burnout.

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Balance has always been important to millennials as well, but in a different way. They’re trying to deal with the financial concerns that have forced them to put off certain life events and trying to keep up with a world that’s constantly changing.

This desire to keep up led to the rise of hustle culture. Millennials taught themselves to work so hard that they really never take a break. They make themselves busy because they think it will solve their problems and help them achieve their goals faster.

Unfortunately, millennials have become the most burned-out generation in the process. They’ve got way too much on their plates, and it’s taking a toll. It seems like they’ve equated being busy with being successful for too long and need to take a step back.

Gen Z has normalized busyness to the point that they almost don’t even think about it anymore.

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Being busy seems to have taken on a whole new meaning for Gen Z. They’re trying to maintain social lives both in person and online. Many also have more than one job because of their money troubles, sometimes squeezing in gig work whenever they can.

A lot of members of this generation would say busyness has become their default lifestyle. This has left them feeling like they always need to be doing something. Resting is something that they rarely, if ever, allow themselves to do.

Gen Z also reports worse mental health than older generations, which could easily be traced back to how busy they are. It’s really more than they should have to keep up with, but they don’t know how to do things differently.

Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.