There are a plethora of books, articles or blog posts about the virtues of being productive versus being busy, as if you are or should be one or the other, which is a faulty premise. Why not be both?
Let's begin with definitions:busy (adj): actively and attentively engaged in work or a pastime; not at leisure; otherwise engaged; full of or characterized by activity
produce (v)*: to bring into existence; give rise to; cause; to make or manufacture
Busy: sending emails and leaving voice mails for prospects and customers
Busily producing: engaging prospects and customers in revenue generating activities
If you can't reach them by phone or email, send them a text message or go to their office. Your success is dependent on what you can make happen.
Busily producing: declining some meeting requests to do work
You do not need to attend every single meeting. You can get the presentation and review it later or ask a colleague to go and take notes. There are only so many hours in a day, how many will you spend listening to presentations? Busy: cleaning off the top of your desk
Busily producing: organizing the top your desk and the desk drawers to be more efficient
Shoving everything off of your desk into a drawer is as productive as shoving everything into a closet at home. It is a band-aid, not a solution. Take some time to organize your work space, you will be more efficient in the long term. Busy: keeping a detailed task oriented To Do list
Busily producing: keeping a goal sheet and completing tasks towards your goals
Instead of listing things you have to do, list your goals and the steps to reach them, which even sounds more positive. As you complete each step, you can see yourself getting closer to reaching a goal. Busy: saying yes to everything and finishing none of them
Busily producing: saying, "yes" to fewer things, completing them on time and under budget
It is absolutely okay and perfectly acceptable to say, "no." You can not do it all, you do not have to do it all and it is okay. Remember, all you can do is all you can do, and it is enough. Do you see the difference between being busy and being busily productive?
Do you see how being busily productive moves you toward achieving goals? Additional information:
Constructively Productive: 36 Secrets the Productivity Gurus Won't Tell You (But Our Heretics Will)
Fast Company: The Simple Key to Productivity
*Productive is a derivative of the word produce.
