Rich and Coll dive into the workplace phenomenon that's got everyone talking - task masking. You know, that fine art of looking incredibly busy whilst achieving absolutely nothing. Sound familiar?

What's Task Masking Then?

• Typing loudly like you're composing the next great novel (spoiler: you're not)
• Frantically checking emails instead of doing actual work
• Speed-walking to meetings like your life depends on it
• Pretending to take notes when you're actually doodling

The Shocking Stats Only 17% of British workers actually love their jobs. Seventeen percent! That's barely one in five. Makes you wonder if task masking is the symptom or the cause, doesn't it?

Why Do We Do It?

• Micromanagement culture that rewards looking busy over being productive
• Unclear expectations and dodgy communication
• That dreadful email culture where quick replies somehow equal efficiency
• Sometimes you're just trying to get through the day when work is just... work

The Email Trap Rich confesses to his three-emails-a-day strategy (revolutionary!), whilst Coll shares tales of the dreaded "sorry for the late reply, I've got loads on" opener. If you're replying to emails instantly, you might not have enough actual work to do. Controversial? Maybe. True? Probably.

What Can You Do?

• Have a proper think about whether it's the job or just the workplace that's wrong
• Get clear on your actual objectives (OKRs, KPIs - all that business jargon that actually matters)
• Browse job descriptions to see what else is out there
• Remember: work gives you meaning AND pays the bills, but if the meaning's gone...

Reality Check We're not in the Victorian era anymore. People have lives beyond their desks, and that Australian "right to disconnect" legislation is looking rather appealing right about now.

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