Busy vs. Productive: Why Being Busy Isn’t Always a Good Thing
Are you being productive or are you simply being busy and wasting energy?
Do you feel as if you’re running around all day? Maybe you’re moving from one to-do list to another and getting nothing done.
What does it mean to be busy? It’s having a great deal to do, of course. People always say things like they’re busy as a bee, but bees get the honey. What are you accomplishing?
Sometimes being busy is really about having a lot of work and reaping few results from it. That’s a trap. You’re just wasting time, money and energy. Instead of being busy, what you want is to be productive. Productivity is when your work produces a significant amount of something. It’s getting results with little work and the right tools—not overworking and underperforming.
Think of the 80/20 rule, which means that 80% of your results comes from 20% of your work. That means recognising which work will offer the biggest impact. It’s an important time management strategy. That’s being productive, which saves time, money and energy, while doing work more efficiently.
Five tips to help you be more productive and less busy:
- Work smarter, not harder. This is an umbrella term that covers all that follows because productivity isn’t about working as hard as you can, but as effectively as you can.
- Use tools and templates to help you work, as tools are designed to make the work more efficient, and templates often set you up so you can avoid the busy work that can sap your productivity.
- Create repeatable systems as another means to streamline your work: there’s no reason to always reinvent the wheel.
- Set boundaries and know how to say no, because distractions keep you busy and don’t add to productivity—they only burn you out. For help, learn how to stand up for yourself at work.
- Apply proven techniques, such as prioritising. Get quick tasks out of the way first, and break down large work assignments into manageable smaller chunks.
Pro-Tip: Now that you’re ready to work more effectively, how can you tell if you’re progressing productively? There are ways to measure productivity, such as having a list, assessing your tasks and getting feedback.
Take it Further: Sometimes all you need to do to boost productivity is to say the word no. Learn how saying no can boost your productivity.
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