Being Busy Does Not Equal Being Productive

How many people do you know who are so busy being busy that they never seem to get anything worthwhile done? Does that describe you, maybe even just a little bit?

Being busy all the time, through necessity, is a curse. Being busy all the time, for the sake of it, is madness.

Continual busy-ness eventually leads to stress, particularly if results are minimal. You see, it will get to a point where something has to give way. It's like filling a balloon with air. Eventually no more air will fit inside the balloon and it will do the only thing it can. It will burst.

It's OK to have busy periods through each day, each week, each month and each year. However, you also need time to relax. Time to re-charge the batteries.

People who are continuously busy over long periods suffer from two main problems:

  • 1 - they have difficulty saying "no" to anyone
  • 2 - they have difficulty delegating tasks to others

    • Let's look at each in turn.

    First, those who cannot say "no." I have a saying: "You can't save the entire world." No matter how good your intentions are, you cannot be everything to everyone.

    Make a list of those who need and deserve your time. They are the one's you should give priority to. Anyone else comes next - if you have the time to spare.

    A wise man once said, "work always expands to fit available time." It's true. But it is only true if you allow it to happen.

    You can always do the odd favor for someone on the odd occasion. Learn to say no in a nice way. Here is one such way: "If I get all my own work done, I will consider your request." What does that really say? It says your work is important. If you get it done you will help. Naturally, if you cannot get it done you cannot help. It's a soft way of saying no. Usually the asker will then go and find another person to ask.

    By saying no you actually help other people to grow. Imagine if you always said yes to tying up your daughter's shoe laces. If you never said no she would still be asking you to do it at twenty years of age. By saying no you make her learn to do it for herself. Remember the old saying about giving a hungry person a fish to eat versus teaching the hungry person how to catch their own fish to eat?

    By saying no we can free up more time for ourselves and those who need or deserve our time the most. Do not become a slave.

    Turning to the second problem, delegation - learn to enlist others to perform tasks that they are better equipped, or have more time, to do.

    If you run all over the place attempting to do everything yourself you will never have sufficient time to do anything properly. Delegation is the art of a true leader. The secret to successful delegation is to build the importance of the task into the mind of the person you are delegating it to. Then, when they do it, thank them and praise them sincerely for the things they did well.

    Don't ever think you are irreplaceable, particularly at your employment. Somebody gave me a definition once of irreplaceability in the workforce. It went something like this: "Get a bucket of water, roll up your sleeve and thrust your arm into the water. Now pull your arm out. The time it takes for the water to settle back into position will be about the same time it will take to replace you!"

    Learning to say no and being able to delegate will allow you to perform the tasks you really want to do and really need to do yourself at a much higher level of proficiency.

    AL Williams wrote a book called "All You Can Do is All You Can Do But All You Can Do is Enough!" (ISBN: 0-8041-0499-9). Catchy title, isn't it?

    In his book, Williams says: "Don't worry about things you can't change. Focus on making your part of the world better, because when they click your lights out for the last time, you can't have any regrets."

    Like I said earlier - you can't save the whole world. Don't even try.

    If you want to be more productive, try to re-organize the way you plan your time. You can do this by:

  • 1 - making a list of things requiring your attention
  • 2 - prioritizing the list
  • 3 - doing essential things first, non-essential things last
  • 4 - after every third task, rewarding yourself in some small way
  • 5 - continue to work your way through the list in sets of three

    • At the end of the day review your list. This is important because it will allow you to see how much you have done and achieved. Achievement will drive you forward to more achievement.

    So, now you don't have to be busy, busy, busy and get little done. You can just be busy achieving what you want.

    [If you like this article and would like to use it on your own website or ezine you may do so ONLY if the article is not changed in any way and the final paragraph: "About the author", with all links intact, is included.]

    About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary's email address is budo@iinet.net.au. Click here to go to his Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his "Zenspirational Thoughts" plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book "The Power of Choice."

    In The News:

    pen paper and inkwell


    cat break through


    What To Do When Youre Short On Time And Long On Need!

    Everyday life can present us with opportunities to make us... Read More

    Time Management: How To Get More Done

    If you can regularly ask yourself "Am I regularly and... Read More

    How to Double Your Accomplishment Level

    Here's a smart system for doubling or tripling your daily... Read More

    Procrastination - Understanding & Overcoming it

    Whenever I've worked on 'de-cluttering' my living or working space,... Read More

    5 Result-Getting Time Management Tips

    How often have you tried to manage your time in... Read More

    5 Tips To Get More Out Of Your Work Day

    It's easy to waste time on things that seem urgent... Read More

    Organize Your Time

    Most people want to start a home-based business to make... Read More

    Do You Have The Time?

    Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number... Read More

    Handling Procrastination

    "TIME CANNOT BE 'MANAGED.' THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF TIME MANAGEMENT... Read More

    10 Tips on the Right Time of Day for Your Personal Best

    Does choosing which time we do an activity really make... Read More

    Time Management is Life Management

    Many of the clients I work with in success coaching... Read More

    Boost Your Productivity with 10 Minutes at the End of Your Day

    Once you have completed your day you can boost your... Read More

    First Things Last

    Years ago clients would tell me they could not identify... Read More

    Boost Your Productivity with Sixty Minutes A Day

    How you spend the first sixty minutes of your day... Read More

    The Ultimate Time Management Tips: 5 Steps To Reaching Your Goals With Minimum Work

    Would you like to know how to get 10 times... Read More

    Work at Home Moms: Time Management Tips

    "How do you DO it?!" If I had a dime... Read More

    Mercury Retrograde and Time Management

    The concept of Mercury Retrograde is very well known even... Read More

    Time Management - Honor Your Time and Energy

    Your time and energy are the two most precious gifts... Read More

    Have You Got a Minute?

    Such an innocuous little phrase, yet when you are hard... Read More

    The Myth of What We Manage

    Perhaps it is merely semantics, but an underlying problem I... Read More

    The 3 Biggest Priority Busters

    As a professional organizer, consultant and trainer, I have come... Read More

    Do You Over Promise and Under Deliver?

    A new client recently admitted to me sheepishly that she... Read More

    Vilfredo Paretos Principle: The 80-20 Rule: 80% of Results are Produced from 20% of Efforts

    Vilfredo Pareto's Principle, or The "Pareto Principle," is more commonly... Read More

    Fitting An Education Into A Busy Lifestyle

    Fitting an education into a busy lifestyleMany people have aspirations... Read More

    Time Management - Working Smarter at Work

    Let's look at your time management skills. Most of us... Read More

    Plan Your Day and Stick to Your Plan

    How many times have you remarked to someone that there... Read More

    Realistic Time Budgeting Tips

    I'm sure we've all had the experience of having a... Read More

    Dont Forget To Take Time Out For You!

    As mothers we play so many different roles and most... Read More

    Time: Do You Spend it or Invest it?

    Time is our greatest and most precious asset. Time is... Read More

    Coping with the Time Crunch

    "There is never enough time, unless you're serving it." -Malcolm... Read More

    Discover Your Procrastination Personality

    Determine Your Procrastination PersonalityBrook Noel is the author of The... Read More

    File It: Boost Your Productivity in Only 15 Minutes Per Week

    Despite the best of intentions, most of us don't use... Read More

    Time Management Basics

    "At my back I always hear time's winged chariot hurrying... Read More