Unveiling the Toll: How Time Poverty Impacts Mental & Physical Health

As a corporate leader, Chelsea was constantly under pressure, steering her company through challenging markets and high-stakes decisions.  But after going to her (long overdue) yearly physical, her doctor delivered a warning: she needed to make drastic changes.

Chelsea was 110 pounds overweight, and her blood pressure was dangerously high. She wasn’t sleeping and was overeating for quick satisfaction hits that never lasted long. In addition, a profound sadness loomed over her, and stress was always around the corner with each project deadline. 

After the appointment, you would think eating healthy, exercising, and engaging in joyful activities would be at the forefront of her mind, but her grueling work schedule left no room for self-care. With sixty—to eighty-hour workweeks, she ended each day utterly drained. 

The decision was hers alone: transform her busy lifestyle or continue to pay the toll on her mental and physical health. 

Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. Everyone has 15 minutes a day, and that is all it took for Chelsea tiny micro steps that took her from time poverty to time wealthy, and in turn, changed her health, happiness and work performance.

The Impact of Time Poverty

This absence of time is harmful…what’s more, is that it's an act of self-sabotage.  Miriam Zylber, a mental health physician and doctor at a leading Miami hospital, succinctly says, “We suffer from being busy, but we don't understand the price we pay.”

Chelsea's experience is not unique but rather a reflection of a more significant issue affecting millions: time poverty. In fact, time poverty has become a widespread epidemic. It's not just about having a busy schedule; it's about the feeling of always being rushed and never having enough time for what truly matters. 

When we think about poverty, we usually think about financial scarcity. But time poverty is just as devasting and prevalent. Individuals who are “time-poor” lack the availability to focus on meaningful activities that enrich their lives. In my recent survey, “The State of Workplace Busyness,” a significant number of respondents reported feeling time-poor, acknowledging that they lack time for personal and professional priorities.  

How Does Time Poverty Happen?

Time poverty manifests in various ways: over-scheduling, societal pressures, and the constant connectivity in our digital age. Many become overcommitted, taking on too many responsibilities at work and home. 

The scarcity of time also negatively impacts well-being, physical health, and productivity, as people may feel constantly rushed and unable to fully engage in or enjoy their activities.

Take Jennifer, for example, a self-proclaimed master multitasker. One morning, as she juggles a work call with one hand and attempts to butter her children’s toast with the other, the distraction of split responsibilities leads to chaos —breakfast ends up burnt, she mindlessly trips over a chair, and completely forgets her promise to chaperone the school field trip to the zoo. 

Her time poverty is not only affecting her work life but her mental clarity, physical awareness, and inability to spend time with the people who matter most in her life - her family. 

Mental Health Consequences of Time Poverty

Not having time for what you value can cause conscious or subconscious emotional distress. In my research, I have found that the emotional toll of busyness affects over 87% of the working population! 

Emotional distress due to busyness manifests as difficulty focusing and concentrating, impatience and irritability, trouble getting adequate sleep, and mental and physical fatigue. 

This is a vicious cycle. Emotional distress leads to trouble with sleep and fatigue, and lack of sleep and exercise leads to more distress. You get the idea. 

Chronic stress, anxiety, and burnout become all too common as people struggle to balance their obligations. However, people also do not consider the impact of busyness on cognition and memory recall. Cortisol, the stress hormone, has been shown to impair our ability to remember information, which can directly correlate with decreased productivity and poor work performance.

Physical Health Implications of Time Poverty

My heart attack happened 20 years ago, at the height of my “eat, sleep, work, repeat” lifestyle. In the midst of a corporate meeting, my pupils started dilating, and I quickly turned blue in the face. Suddenly, I felt a stabbing pain in my chest and could not complete my sentences, let alone my presentation. A team member, Dr. Lee noticed my struggles, and took my vitals, which led to the ambulance. 

As the ambulance rushed me away, I kept thinking – a heart attack at the age of 40? How is this possible? The answer was simple: my busyness was almost my demise. 

When you are a hair-on-fire-busy corporate employee, the last thing on your mind is your physical well-being and health habits. You sit at your desk for hours, skip meals, and lose sleep just to meet the next deadline, only to take on the next. 

Here are some staggering numbers from respondents of the 2023 Busy Barometer Assessment:

• Over ¾ the population suffers from a basic lack of self-care.

• 91% of participants struggle with proper nutrition and physical activity. 

• 79% of people experience sleep deprivation.

In the short term, your busyness may fuel your productivity. But even if you get the award for “Employee of the Month,” you will be on your way to suffering from chronic physical impairments – or worse.

Breaking the Cycle of Time Poverty

We think being busy is a great thing, so it’s often the last place we look to solve our life challenges. However, from my experience, in-depth research studies, and consulting practice, I have found that it is the first place to look for a solution. 

Understanding the impact of time poverty isn’t enough to unveil the toll of busyness on your physical and mental health. It’s all about taking proactive steps to manage it. 

The solution to being busy is not to stop doing. That would be not only silly but impossible. Ironically, we have way too much to do. The solution is where we put our priorities: choosing what we do with purpose, intention, and clarity so it aligns with what is important to us.

To learn more about climbing out of time poverty, pre-order my book Beyond Busyness: How to Achieve More by Doing Less here. Beyond Busyness provides a simple, data-backed, and actionable approach to balancing peak performance,self-care, and happiness without sacrificing one for the other.

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