Busy vs. Productivity

All too often, we get caught up in day-to-day events and try to do too many things at once. This causes us to feel stressed out, worried, dissatisfied, and like we never have enough time to get everything done. We end up cutting corners and not really doing our best on many of the tasks we feel we must do each day. This leads to burnout, poor work performance, and stress on relationships.

“Focus on being productive instead of busy.” 

Tim Ferriss

It is important to assess whether what we spend so much of our time doing is actually worthy of our attention – or not. Allowing ourselves to get distracted with inane stuff that doesn’t really matter, is a waste of our time, talents, and creativity.

We’ve all heard the adage that anything worth doing is worth doing well. When we choose to put our attention toward anything, we are deciding that it is worthy of our time and focus, and therefore it is important.

“Productivity is the deliberate, strategic investment of your time, talent, intelligence, energy, resources, and opportunities in a manner calculated to move you measurably closer to meaningful goals.” 

Dan S. Kennedy

When we engage in meaningful work, put in the effort we know we are capable of, and take the time to maintain the quality of our work, we realize that what we create reflects who we are. At the end of the day, if we are proud of what we have accomplished, and we know we have done our best, then that is what matters.

However, if we know that our work is subpar and we don’t care, that is a huge clue that we need to switch things up and look for something else that is more in line with who we are. When we use our time productively and our talents creatively, it will relieve the stress on our relationships, and we will ultimately be happier as a result.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” 

Steve Jobs