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


    Hey, Free Agent, Did You Eat Your Breakfast Today?

    And when you finally sat down to eat breakfast, was... Read More

    Pacing Yourself Through Change

    OK...let's assume that you're truly motivated to change. Great. But... Read More

    Too Much to Do? Too Little Time?

    Hey - Did someone press the FFW button?Have you ever... Read More

    Mercury Retrograde and Time Management

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

    Time Management: A Fresh View

    Last week I had the privilege of spending some quality... Read More

    Creating A Not-To-Do List

    When I sit down with a client to work on... Read More

    Taking Time Out to Play - Summertime and the Living is Easy

    As the song goes, this is the time to relax,... Read More

    Do You Have The Time?

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

    The Keepers of Time

    I give presentations on organizational skill building as it relates... Read More

    3 Ways To Do More With Less Time

    We live in a world where more is expected of... 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

    Could you use a ?Stop Doing? list?

    One of the tried and true organization and time-management tools... Read More

    Procrastination. Id love to but...

    When a good friend asked me to contribute a little... Read More

    Top 10 Ways to Manage Yourself - Time Wise

    "Time management" is a myth. Time ticks by, whether you... Read More

    Tips to Manage Incoming E-mail

    Friends, colleagues, and clients are all telling me that one... Read More

    Sprint Through Your Workday, Even if Youre a Marathoner

    Whenever you have projects that can't be done in one... Read More

    Organize Your Time

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

    7 Ways To Improve Your Life In 7 Days

    Choose to be HappyHappiness is a choice. You can choose... Read More

    The Power of Limited Time

    The most powerful resource that we have is time. Everything... Read More

    24 Time Management Tips

    Where does your time go? We all know we are... Read More

    Get More Done at Your Office: Focus on These Eight Areas for Increased Productivity

    Your productivity depends on good tools and effective environments, and... Read More

    Time Management Training - A Necessary Investment or A Waste Of Money?

    Many organisations view time management training as something they'll spend... Read More

    Time Management - Working Smarter at Work

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

    Quick Tips On Time Management

    Want to improve your time management?Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker,... Read More

    Keeping Time

    What keeping time really means is...being on time!You know, there... Read More

    Balancing Your Work, Family and Social Life

    Balancing Your Work, Family and Social Life... Read More

    Make Time Work For You

    Any habit of mind or body that interferes with taking... Read More

    Controlling Family Chaos - Time Management for the Family

    Balancing a family's varying schedules can be near impossible. Soccer,... Read More

    When is the Best Time to Plan Your Day?

    When is the best time to plan your day? Well,... Read More

    Are You Running Out of Time?

    Here's some time management tips to try:1) Set strict office... Read More

    What to Do When Your Alarm Clock Doesn?t Wake You Up

    Tring ? Tring the alarm rings?but did you fail to... Read More

    Time Management is Life Management

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

    Time Is Everything

    Time is wealth;Time is health; Time is power; Time is... Read More