Create Account / Log In

Being Busy Does Not Equal Being Productive

How many people do you know who are so busy being busy that they never seem to get anything worthwhile done? Does that describe you, maybe even just a little bit?

Being busy all the time, through necessity, is a curse. Being busy all the time, for the sake of it, is madness.

Continual busy-ness eventually leads to stress, particularly if results are minimal. You see, it will get to a point where something has to give way. It's like filling a balloon with air. Eventually no more air will fit inside the balloon and it will do the only thing it can. It will burst.

It's OK to have busy periods through each day, each week, each month and each year. However, you also need time to relax. Time to re-charge the batteries.

People who are continuously busy over long periods suffer from two main problems:

Let's look at each in turn.

First, those who cannot say "no." I have a saying: "You can't save the entire world." No matter how good your intentions are, you cannot be everything to everyone.

Make a list of those who need and deserve your time. They are the one's you should give priority to. Anyone else comes next - if you have the time to spare.

A wise man once said, "work always expands to fit available time." It's true. But it is only true if you allow it to happen.

You can always do the odd favor for someone on the odd occasion. Learn to say no in a nice way. Here is one such way: "If I get all my own work done, I will consider your request." What does that really say? It says your work is important. If you get it done you will help. Naturally, if you cannot get it done you cannot help. It's a soft way of saying no. Usually the asker will then go and find another person to ask.

By saying no you actually help other people to grow. Imagine if you always said yes to tying up your daughter's shoe laces. If you never said no she would still be asking you to do it at twenty years of age. By saying no you make her learn to do it for herself. Remember the old saying about giving a hungry person a fish to eat versus teaching the hungry person how to catch their own fish to eat?

By saying no we can free up more time for ourselves and those who need or deserve our time the most. Do not become a slave.

Turning to the second problem, delegation - learn to enlist others to perform tasks that they are better equipped, or have more time, to do.

If you run all over the place attempting to do everything yourself you will never have sufficient time to do anything properly. Delegation is the art of a true leader. The secret to successful delegation is to build the importance of the task into the mind of the person you are delegating it to. Then, when they do it, thank them and praise them sincerely for the things they did well.

Don't ever think you are irreplaceable, particularly at your employment. Somebody gave me a definition once of irreplaceability in the workforce. It went something like this: "Get a bucket of water, roll up your sleeve and thrust your arm into the water. Now pull your arm out. The time it takes for the water to settle back into position will be about the same time it will take to replace you!"

Learning to say no and being able to delegate will allow you to perform the tasks you really want to do and really need to do yourself at a much higher level of proficiency.

AL Williams wrote a book called "All You Can Do is All You Can Do But All You Can Do is Enough!" (ISBN: 0-8041-0499-9). Catchy title, isn't it?

In his book, Williams says: "Don't worry about things you can't change. Focus on making your part of the world better, because when they click your lights out for the last time, you can't have any regrets."

Like I said earlier - you can't save the whole world. Don't even try.

If you want to be more productive, try to re-organize the way you plan your time. You can do this by:

At the end of the day review your list. This is important because it will allow you to see how much you have done and achieved. Achievement will drive you forward to more achievement.

So, now you don't have to be busy, busy, busy and get little done. You can just be busy achieving what you want.

[If you like this article and would like to use it on your own website or ezine you may do so ONLY if the article is not changed in any way and the final paragraph: "About the author", with all links intact, is included.]

About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary's email address is budo@iinet.net.au. Click here to go to his Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his "Zenspirational Thoughts" plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book "The Power of Choice."

Time management critical to excel Economic Times, India - 19 hours ago If you examine the matter closely, time and timing is everything. If you want tell somebody something that in your opinion is critical, it is better to say ...

Bible Wesleyan Church hosts time management seminar Tri County Leader, TX - Sep 4, 2008 The Bible Wesleyan Church at 104 Hagan Rd. in Whitehouse will be the location for a time management seminar by Rick Grubbs. Since 1984 Rick Grubbs has been ...

Part-Time Management Accountant Third Sector (registration), UK - Sep 4, 2008 As our name suggests, the Leadership Centre for Local Government has the mission of creating thriving and prosperous communities – and you’ll play a very ...

FriendFeed is not killing blogging [Time Management 101] The Inquisitr, Australia - Sep 3, 2008 The real issue identified here is one of time management. How do you best divide your time across various platforms in an age where there is so much going ...

Termi8r's Week and Thoughts About Time Management PokerStrategy.com, UK - Sep 3, 2008 Nevertheless, he made some important steps, such as having a time management, to become a better poker player. by Termi8r This week has been a rather quiet ...

Time-Management Tips for Mobile Professionals PC World - Aug 27, 2008 As a topic, time management is about as exciting as watching flies buzz around a no-pest strip. But would you be interested in learning about time ...

Team well-versed in time management Boston Globe, United States - Aug 24, 2008 By Christopher L. Gasper FOXBOROUGH - The schedule makers did the Patriots no favors this preseason, giving them three games in an 11-day span. ...

No clowning around with time management Calgary Herald,  Canada - Aug 25, 2008 Many students resist when they first hear their parents tell them to "get a job." But it doesn't take long for them to value working as a way to gain ...

Learning time management a must for Hawks Gazette Online, IA - Aug 27, 2008 Time management is the key for these student-athletes. Between the books and football, there's little time for anything else. It's easy to slip up, ...

Time Management Tips: 5 Tips For Making Time Work Better For You 3x24 - Your Newspaper and News Magazine, Germany - Aug 26, 2008 by Wendy Hearn In today’s hectic world it is easy to lose track of things if you do not have some kind of time management strategy in place. ...