Busyness-addicted people often confuse being busy with being productive. This is because of a cognitive connection in our brain; in some cases, busyness can give us a fake perception of productivity. However, being productive requires a completely different set of skills than simply staying busy.
A very easy way to illustrate this idea is when we are facing a problem. Unproductive people prefer to do something quickly instead of doing nothing, even if doing nothing is the right solution. It requires more effort to analyse the situation and decide not to do anything than to instinctively start doing something. However, inactivity can be seen by other as a lack of effort or intention.
Check out these ways productive people win against the battle of busyness so you can too become more productive.
1. They spend time thinking before acting
Planning is sometimes perceived as a waste of time. But having the right plan in place is extremely important as it will help you execute the task in a more organised way and you will obtain better results. As Abraham Lincoln said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
2. They don’t keep saying how busy they are
Busyness-addicted people love to tell others how busy they are because it helps them deal with their own stress. By doing so, they are passing on some pressure to others who, in their opinion, should also be very busy. Productive people instead focus on their tasks when they are working on them and not during the rest of the time. They don’t need other people to reassure their busyness levels.
3. They prioritise to spend their time wisely
To be productive it is necessary to prioritise and decide what can you commit to. Then, say no to the rest. This helps productive people to manage their own energy and not to waste their vitality on those things that are not worth it.
4. They do less things better
Trying to cover too many things normally results in disaster. Instead, productive people focus on less things, doing some of them exceptionally and the rest adequately. As it is impossible to do everything well, productive people know what their strengths are and they concentrate on them.
5. They use the right tools to free up their time
Technology used in the right way helps us to become more productive. Using the right apps and tools help productive people to increase their productivity in the workplace. To accomplish everyday tasks they also use the apps and gadgets that best help them with their personal productivity.
6. They finish work on time
Following schedules and finishing work on time is key. Setting up time frames to finish tasks helps productive people to avoid procrastination and makes them much more likely to finish their tasks on time. Busyness-addicted people tend to continue working at the end of the day which means they never disconnect, making them less productive during working hours.
7. They know how to spend their free time
Productive people appreciate having free time. They generally have hobbies and look forward to plans with their friends and family during the weekend or on holiday. Busyness-addicted people find it difficult to occupy their mind with things other than work.
8. They do not talk about work in their spare time
As a sign to disconnect from work, it is difficult to hear productive people talking about work during their spare time. Overall, they focus on their tasks when working on them and know how to keep them out of their minds the rest of the time.
Featured photo credit: Clark Kent/Nana B Agyei via flickr.com
