picture source: freepik.com
There are 2 types of people at work, the busy ones, and the productive ones. However, what is the differences between being busy and being productive? Let’s jump into it!
There are 4 differences between busy people and productive people. Take a look at it!
1. Busy people want to look like they have a mission. Productive people have a mission for their lives
Busy people feel like work has to be done first rather than doing other things. Filing, editing reports, and sitting in meetings all are examples of doing busy work. They are intent to hide their doubt about the destination of their lives by acting confident in their little steps.
Productive people allow others to see the doubt in their little steps because they are clear on the destination. Such as preparing project-based learning unit plans and resources but not spending an insane amount of time inputting grades or putting together bulletin boards.
2. Busy people have many priorities. Productive people have few priorities
Nobody is ever too busy, if they care they will make time. As a young person, it is good to set priorities. If you have 3 priorities, you have priorities. If you have 25 priorities, you have a mess.
The Pareto principle is that 80% of your desired results come from 20% of your activity. Henry Ford built a fortune not by building better cars, but by building a better system for making cars. Busy people try to make better cars, and productive people develop better systems for making cars. Another example is when your goal this year is to learn Chinese until you can speak fluently. However, If your goal is diverse, playing games, traveling to 10 countries, basketball every day, finding a girlfriend, going to all the concerts… you will not speak Chinese at the end of this year.
3. Busy people respond quickly to emails. Productive people take their time
Email is a handy list of priorities. The problem: they are other people’s priorities, not yours. If you respond to every email, you are dividing up your life into a thousand tiny bits that serve other people’s priorities. The idea is that you only look at your inbox two to three times a day or pause notifications for a while so that you can focus on work without distractions.
Batching meetings, calls, or virtual events can be equally effective. Research from Ohio State University has shown that when we have a meeting coming up in the next hour or two, we get 22% less work done compared to when we have no upcoming meetings at all.
Consider creating rules around your schedule. If you are most alert in the mornings, try to schedule your most demanding tasks and meetings early on, and leave the afternoons open for some quiet work hours.
4. Busy people talk about how they will change. Productive people are making those changes.
Spend less time talking about what you will do and dedicate that time to creating the first step. What can you do now that requires the approval of nobody else? What can you do with the resources, knowledge, and support that you have now? Do that. It is amazing how the universe rewards the person who stops talking and begins. We are born with incredible potential. In other words, consider what bad habits you want to change and think about how you can alter your environment to influence those behaviors. Don’t let your potential go to waste.
Being productive is not about doing more, but about efficiently doing things. Starting now, invest time in these simple strategies and make small changes to get more out of your day. Don’t waste your future potential earnings, Create something amazing. This is a reward.
Being Busy Vs. Being Productive: Which One Are You?
article source: lifehack.org