Working hours halved, and the complaint never moved. Busyness was doing another job.
TL;DR: Everyone is still slammed, though we work far fewer hours than our great-great-grandparents, and AI now turns out a first draft in minutes. Busyness is a choice, and a rewarded one: a full calendar makes its owner look scarce and in demand, no matter what got finished. The hours AI saves go straight back into other work, plus new work nobody owns. The exchange rate is cultural: Americans reward the overloaded week, Italians mark it down. My own model of a fully loaded leader’s week leaves two days open. Check next week against your prioritized list and what an agent could do; empty one recurring block.
