7 Signs You’re Being Busy Instead of Productive
Often, being busy is just procrastination in disguise. Productivity is more about focusing on acting rather than thinking.
There is a myth that productive people work long hours without feeling tired.
In other words, being productive has become synonymous with enduring the pain of working non-stop.
Well, that’s not true.
Being productive means being effective, doing something that is beyond the capabilities of other people in the shortest amount of time possible. Otherwise, you are just a busy person.
Today, I’m going to share evidence-based signs that you’re a busy person.
You Work Harder but Don’t Produce More Than Others
A busy person spends their time overthinking their projects. On the other hand, a productive person just starts and gets it done.
Try changing your mindset of “can I work harder to deliver this?” to “how can I deliver this by working less?”.
You Have Too Many Immediate Priorities
One of the clearest signs of disorganization is having so many priorities that you don’t even know where to start!
An immediate priority is only one, there is no possibility of having more than that.
Therefore, rate your priorities according to complexity vs. value, and start with tasks with the highest value and least complexity.
You Say Yes Too Fast
If you accept challenges without studying them for at least 30 minutes, that’s a sign of psychological weakness. People who do this need to demonstrate their effectiveness because they are not sure if others believe in their ability.
Take a moment and think of someone you admire in your area.
Now do the following reflection: is it easy to get a “yes” from this person? Does he/she accept tasks and challenges with immediacy?
The only possible answer is no. And this is clear evidence that you should build on this by taking on new challenges.
You Always Have the Urgency Alert On
If you ever wake up with work-related anxiety, it’s a sign of low productivity.
Extremely busy and unproductive people are always concerned about deadlines, deliveries and delays.
I always say that preoccupation is a self-explanatory concept. You spend energy on something you are not doing, it is pre-occupation.
This leads to an anxiety state that simply destroys your ability to focus.
You Try To Be Good at Everything
The metaphor of the duck is what best explains the behavior of most professionals today. A duck swims, flies and walks, but it does none of that with excellence.
This is different from having a T-shaped profile, where there’s a generalist layer, but one or two skills that you’re really great at.
Multitasking Is Your Second Name
It’s okay to run multiple things as long as it’s not at the same time.
Doing one thing at a time with an individual focus is very different from sharing attention with several simultaneous activities.
It is important to know yourself so that you develop the ability to forget about everything else and treat each task as if it were unique.
You Make Too Many Plans But You Can’t Execute Them
When you don’t succeed immediately in your plans, you’re always wanting to change.
However, often what a plan needs to be successful is consistency.
The urge for immediate success makes us give up too quickly, and give up opportunities without sincere reflection.
In the end, this generates a successive cycle of failures. Remember: giving up is not bad as long as it is done with caution and thorough study.
Conclusion
A busy person spends a lot of time researching, making to-do lists, and thinking too much before even starting work.
Thinking and acting are two very different things. And the most normal is that many things go out of line.
Realizing this, truly productive people take into account imperfections and difficulties not previously thought through. But what is the best way to exercise this skill?
Doing instead of planning.
Often, planning is nothing more than laziness in disguise. The inertia in starting.
So, at the first sign that you’re not working effectively, use strategies that help you get into a productive mindset with more action and less thinking.
Which side do you want to be on?
