In 2021 I conducted a LinkedIn poll, asking the network ‘How busy do you feel compared to 2020?’ and 800 people responded — with 80 per cent reporting it’s a little or a lot busier. Studies also show that we are busier, with email traffic increasing 30 per cent in the last five years, and a constant flow of new work and social platforms to engage with. Every spare second we have is used playing a game of ‘whack a mole’ as we flick between platforms to keep up with hundreds of alerts. Controlling the pace of work has become an essential skill for anyone at work today.