“The essential question is not “How busy are you?”,
but “What are you busy at?””
~ Oprah Winfrey
Do you ever feel like there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done?
It can sometimes seem like we’re constantly on the go, yet when we finally call it quits at the end of the day, we’re surprised to discover that we haven’t actually managed to accomplish anything. And oftentimes this happens not because we’re lazy or incompetent or don’t know what we’re doing, or because there aren’t enough hours for us to get through our lengthy to-do list; rather, it’s because we occasionally find ourselves busy without actually being productive.
Oxford defines ‘busywork‘ as work that keeps a person busy but has little value in itself.
A simple example of busywork would be me pausing my mission to finally clean out the kitchen cupboards in order to alphabetize the spice rack – yes, it will make it easier for future me to find the cilantro {assuming of course that I’ll one day want my food to taste like I soaked it in dishwater and thus decide to actually use said cilantro😬🤪}, but it added no productivity value to the task at hand.
It’s not unusual for us to become distracted from the task at hand and veer off to do other things. And while those other things may have their own value – in the same way that alphabetizing the spice rack would minimize future efforts to locate a particular bottle – they aren’t necessary steps for us to complete our current project, thus keeping us busy yet preventing us from actually being productive.
Likewise, sometimes we find ourselves falling down a rabbit hole, losing track of time as we sink deeper and deeper into a task that doesn’t require quite so much attention to detail. For instance, you might decide to clear your desk a little by doing some light filing, and before you know it half the day is gone and you haven’t gotten any actual work done because you spent the entire morning cleaning and reorganizing your desk drawers.
That’s why it’s important to occasionally stop and evaluate what we’re busy doing, to ask ourselves one important question:
~ “Is this relevant, or necessary?”
And depending on our answer, we can then ask:
~ “Is there any way that I can do this easier / faster / better?”
“Being busy is about working harder,
while being productive is about working smarter.”
~ John Spencer
[The Difference Between Busy and Productive]
Picture this: You’re tasked with making three dozen ham ‘n’ cheese sandwiches for your child’s next school outing. Do you make them sandwich by sandwich, or do you clear the kitchen counter, lay down three dozen slices of bread, and start slapping on the ham and cheese from left to right?
I think 99% of us would go the second route, because while the first would likely keep you busy for the entirety of the evening, the second would allow you to move at a much quicker pace, thereby leaving room for other activities that you actually enjoy such as spending time with said child.
So, today I’d like to share a few quotes on the importance of understanding the difference between busy and being productive:
“To do two things at once
is to do neither.”
~ Publilius Syrus
“When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority.”
~ Karen Martin, The Outstanding Organization: Generate Business Results
by Eliminating Chaos and Building the Foundation for Everyday Excellence
“It’s not enough to be busy; so are the ants.
The question is: what are we busy about?”
~ Henry David Thoreau
“There is nothing quite so useless
as doing with great efficiency
something that should not be done at all.”
~ Peter Drucker
“Doing nothing is better
than being busy doing nothing.”
~ Laozi
“Being busy does not always mean real work.”
~ Thomas A. Edison
“Sometimes, ‘busy’ is shorthand for something else,
in the same way that ‘tired’ can mean anything
from physically exhausted to extremely depressed.”
~ Adam J. Kurtz, You Are Here (For Now):
A Guide to Finding Your Way
“It is possible to be busy – very busy –
without being very effective.”
~ Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:
Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
“Just because we’re busy doesn’t mean we’re being productive.
Working is one of the most dangerous forms of procrastination.”
~ Gretchen Rubin, Outer Order, Inner Calm:
Declutter & Organize to Make More Room for Happiness
“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule,
but to schedule your priorities.”
~ Stephen R. Covey
“You will never find time for anything.
If you want time, you must make it.”
~ Charles Buxton
“One always has time enough,
if one will apply it well.”
~ Johann Wolfgang con Goethe
“A plan is what; a schedule is when.
It takes both a plan and a schedule to get things done.”
~ Peter Turla
“He who every morning plans the transactions
of that day and follows that plan
carries a thread that will guide him
through the labyrinth of the most busy life.”
~ Victor Hugo
“Productivity isn’t about being a workhorse,
keeping busy or burning the midnight oil.
It’s more about priorities, planning,
and fiercely protecting your time.”
– Margarita Tartakovsky
~ Gary Keller, The ONE Thing:
The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results
“Don’t confuse activity with productivity.
Many people are simply busy being busy.”
~ Robin Sharma
“Productivity is never an accident.
It is always the result of a commitment to excellence,
intelligent planning and focused effort.”
~ Paul J. Meyer
“It’s not always that we need to do more,
but rather that we need to focus on less.”
~ Nathan W. Morris
“Efficiency is doing things right.
Effectiveness is doing the right things.”
~ Peter F. Drucker
“Have regular hours for work and play.
make each day both useful and pleasant,
and prove that you understand the worth of time
by employing it well.”
~ Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
And as some of you may know, next week is Trinidad’s Carnival – The Greatest Show on Earth. But ya’ll know we’ll meet up again to continue our year of rebranding and reshaping the following week. So, until then …
RETURN TO POST LISTING
VIEW ON AMAZON
Leave a Reply