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16 April 2023 11 Min Read

Being Busy vs. Being Productive: Debunking the Myth

In today’s always-on world, most of us feel pressure always to be (or look) busy. We rush to respond immediately and finish tasks straightaway. Yet, unfortunately, this multitasking can often lead to feeling overwhelmed yet unaccomplished.

Do you work hard, hurry to finish everything, and strive towards perfectionism? These are all signs of being busy. But that’s a good thing, right? Well, I wouldn’t say. The problem is you probably don’t have any spare time to dedicate to what makes you happy and takes you closer to your goals.

And here’s where productivity kicks in. It will help you work smarter and engage in deep work while still having the time to relax. Being productive will reduce your stress levels and help you organize your time to achieve more by doing ‘less.’

In this article, you can learn how to put yourself in a more productive state and “break up” with being busy. So, let’s start from the beginning.

What Does It Mean to Be Busy? And What About Productive?

Busy people have strong work ethics and a lot going on but usually accomplish very little. They typically work hard, but not smart. As a result, they often have less time in the day. Or, well, that’s how they feel. But what they truly lack is not time; it is proper time management.

By overloading themselves, busy people affect their ability to complete tasks promptly and to the best of their capacity. They always chase tasks but don’t get to the end, constantly making them feel stressed.

Note

Busy people tend to do something all the time, while productive people make the most of their limited time.

Productive people are more effective in less time. They always look for better ways to achieve the same outcome. Furthermore, they prioritize daily tasks that take them closer to their long-term goals. Their focus is on tasks with the greatest return on investment (ROI). Moreover, they have free time to rest, go out, have fun, work out, socialize, or simply do what makes them happy.

So, in the perfect scenario, you would be productive while not overly busy.

Yet, you might deem distinguishing these two terms a ‘mission impossible,’ especially since you can be both busy and productive. The line is thin and blurry, so let me help you clarify.

Signs You Are Busy, Yet Not Productive

Many productive people are busy, but not all busy ones are productive.

I’ve put together a list of indicators that it’s time to change your attitude and habits. Here are a few pointers: you are not using your time the best you can (and how to fix it).

You Have Not One, Not Two, But Many Priorities

Busy people often have a long to-do list to keep them occupied during the day.

On the other hand, productive individuals take the less is more approach. They have strategic to-do lists that prioritize critical-thinking tasks requiring more brainpower. At the same time, they push the less important ones toward the bottom; since postponing them to the next day will probably do no harm.

Prioritization is the main thing that separates busy from productive people. Therefore, it’s the first red flag pointing out being unproductive, even if you are always working.

Warning

Not everything on your to-do list is equally important.

And sure, it’s okay to have more than one priority. However, more than a handful of tasks and projects can alter your focus and cause distractions. Ultimately, you’ll end up making very little progress toward your end goal, which takes me to the next point.

You Don’t Have a Clear Goal

Busy people tend to take action and work all the time, yet don’t have a clear direction where they are headed. More often than not, they don’t have a goal – they just work for the sake of working.

For example, busy employee may spend their day replying to emails, attending meetings, and engaging in tasks that consume their time without clear objectives. These people often react and put off fires without making significant progress on key projects.

In contrast, productive people are proactive; they have a clear goal and actionable plan to realize it. For instance, a productive employee would allocate time to strategize, set milestones, and focus on essential tasks that drive a project forward while efficiently handling routine tasks and delegating or automating non-critical activities.

You Often Rush to Say ‘Yes’

Your friend or colleague asks you for a favor in the middle of your work. What do you do? You rush to help. Wrong! That’s what the busy version of you would do, but not the productive one.

Of course, there are always exceptions and urgencies. However, the sooner you learn to say no, the better.

Busy people often struggle with saying ‘yes’ to everything and leaving urgent matters unattended just because someone else asked for a favor. And as much as you feel eager to help, trust me, no one will give you a badge for being available 24/7. And unfortunately, very often, people will not even thank you for the things you did.

Instead, you will postpone your obligations and hurt your productivity. Ultimately, you will be left with a pile of tasks and no time to finish everything without pressure.

Note

Productive people don’t automatically agree to everything. They are assertive and know how to discuss, argue, and negotiate.

When you ask a productive person for ’a favor,’ they will recalculate their answer first. Will taking on this task add value to their end goal? Is it an urgent matter? If not, it can wait.

I have also been a people pleaser for most of my life, so I warmly recommend you stop it and start putting yourself first. Appreciate your time, and so will others – it’s the only way to remain productive with free time to dedicate to your needs and wants.

You Give in To Distractions

Let me paint a picture for you. You are in your office working on an urgent task with a deadline for the following day. Your colleague enters your office and asks how your time at the bar was yesterday. You engage in a 15-minute conversation. They leave. You return to your task (of course, less effective, as you have lost focus).

Suddenly, you get a message on your phone. You look at it but continue working. Half an hour has passed, and you hear a noise outside the building. Is someone arguing? You check. Then, a dog barks, and you lose focus again and decide to scroll on social media.

And the thing this entire time is that you are busy. You are working all the time. But are you productive? Definitely not! Compulsively checking your email or phone every time it buzzes will make your brain process things slower and hinder your ability to concentrate.

Important

Distractions are one of your biggest enemies preventing you from becoming productive.

We all face distractions; unfortunately, there’s no way to eliminate them altogether. That’s why busy people tend to get lost in a long list of tasks. On the other hand, productive individuals have a system that helps them minimize the impact of distractions on their work and life. But we’ll come back to it later.

You Multitask All the Time

You start a single task, jump to another one, then return to the first. But do you know the result of this? It’s nothing but chaos. The same happens with our computers. What happens when you open too many tabs on your laptop? The performance slows down, and so does yours, whether you accept it or not.

Multitasking ties to limiting distractions. Sure, taking action is crucial and a trait of the doers. However, it also matters which tasks you pursue.

Note

Studies show that attempting two or more tasks at a time, switching between them, or performing multiple tasks in rapid succession harms productivity.

If you don’t focus on a single task at a time, you’ll spend too much time procrastinating, ultimately making you less effective. As a result, you may put off harder, more critical tasks in favor of irrelevant work. Unfortunately, busy people often struggle with it, so you must learn how to overcome procrastination to boost your effectiveness.

Productive people, in turn, dedicate their undivided attention to a single task. Once they complete it, they move on to the next one on the checklist.

Tip

Always start with the highest priority task to complete your work on time without pressure.

You Don’t Take Breaks

You can work all day, yet it’s useless if you haven’t developed the mental capacity to handle the tasks. An efficient brain is necessary to work productively. Unfortunately, busy people tend to underestimate the importance of scheduling breaks.

Taking breaks is crucial for productivity, as it allows for mental and physical rejuvenation, improves concentration, and reduces stress. But that’s not the only advantage.

Breaks enable you to step back and gain perspective, thereby fostering creativity and better decision-making. They also contribute to your overall well-being by preventing burnout and promoting healthy habits.

Warning

Beware that burnout is real! If you don’t take care of yourself, your batteries will drain, and you won’t be able to perform at your best.

Furthermore, breaks encourage social interaction, which can improve mood and workplace relationships. Lastly, incorporating breaks into your routine can enhance time management by motivating you to set short-term goals and work in focused intervals.

Note

When you give your brain a break, it will work more efficiently afterward. So, walk your dog, listen to music, or enjoy a coffee in the sun, to take your mind off things. It’s not time wasted, but quite the opposite.

You Are Always Stuck on The Details

If you tend to stick to the details, chances are, you are always busy. While sometimes, it pays off to be detail-oriented, in most cases, details have no impact on the overall success.

Busy people often get bogged down in micromanagement and spend too much time doubting between two options. On the other hand, productive people don’t waste precious time. Instead, they tend to look at the bigger picture and things that can significantly impact the outcome.

For example, consider a marketing manager working on a new product launch campaign.

A busy one might spend excessive time choosing the perfect font for promotional materials. On the other hand, a productive one would prioritize key aspects like identifying the target audience, crafting a compelling message, and selecting the most effective channels for promotion.

Consequently, the productive marketing manager can make a more significant impact on the campaign’s success. At the same time, the busy person may get stuck in minutiae that ultimately have little bearing on the outcome.

Quick Summary: Busy vs. Productive

Busy

Works hard
Rushed
Reactive
Time-consuming
Stress-driven
Often distracted
Multitask
Too many priorities
Always says yes
Appearance of activity
Low goal achievement

Productive

Works smart
Relaxed
Proactive
Time-efficient
Mission-driven
Follow a system
Focused tasks
Specific priorities
Knows when to say no
Measurable outcomes
High goal achievement

How To Shift from Being Busy to Being Productive?

The Eisenhower Decision Matrix is my favorite time management and prioritization tool.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the US, famously said, “What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.”

Then, based on this, he developed and popularized this matrix that consists of four quadrants that help you categorize tasks based on their urgency and importance.

The first quadrant consists of urgent and important tasks, meaning you should deal with them immediately. Examples include project or work deadlines, a medical emergency, or a crisis.

Tip

Try to minimize the tasks in the first quadrant to prevent feeling overwhelmed. You can do so through effective planning and delegation.

The second quadrant refers to important but not urgent tasks, meaning you should take care of them, but you can take your time. For instance, you can plan and schedule activities for your long-term goals or personal growth, such as exercising, developing a new skill, or building and maintaining relationships.

However, be careful, as procrastination and neglecting the tasks from the second quadrant can make them urgent. You must develop the discipline to meet your long-term success and well-being. If you ask me, these are my favorite tasks.

Next, the third quadrant is the complete opposite of the second. It refers to unimportant yet urgent tasks. Sure, they require immediate attention; however, you don’t have to be the one performing them (as you perceive them as irrelevant). So, it would be best to delegate these activities to others to have more time left to focus on what matters, i.e., your goals.

Note

Busy people frequently engage in tasks from the third quadrant, making them less productive and goal-oriented.

Finally, the fourth quadrant refers to tasks that are neither urgent nor important, such as scrolling through social media, binge-watching TV shows, or excessive window shopping. So, you should do your best to reduce these tasks to a minimum, as they don’t contribute to your goals or personal growth.

Limiting your engagement in time-wasting activities, toxic people, or trivial tasks will give you more time to focus on the first and second quadrants, i.e., what truly matters.

Note

Organizing your tasks using this matrix will help you better manage your time, prioritize your tasks, and focus on what truly matters, boosting your productivity.

Conclusion

Being productive means getting more done and making more of an impact. It doesn’t mean working endlessly; it’s about working smart and maximizing the value of your efforts. And the good news is you don’t have to be busy to be productive!

If you look back after a month and wonder where all your time has gone, it means you are busy but probably inefficient. So, step back, take a deep breath, and rest your brain.

Take the time to understand the hazards of being constantly on and rushing. Learn to distinguish between importance and urgency, as it’s essential for personal and professional growth.

Finally, shift from a busy mindset to a productivity-driven approach and embrace productivity to unlock your true potential!

Frequently Asked Questions

Busy people engage in many tasks and activities, but often lack clear goals or priorities. They tend to multitask, react to situations as they arise, and dedicate time to tasks that may not contribute to significant progress. Others perceive them as constantly active, yet they achieve limited results.

Productive people efficiently complete tasks that contribute to their personal or professional goals. They prioritize tasks, enforce proper time management, and take proactive measures. They work smart and deliver tangible results.

The key difference lies in intention and outcomes.Busy people tackle many tasks without clear goals, while productive ones focus on tasks that align with their objectives, creating meaningful progress.

If you often multitask, are time-consumed by activities, achieve low goal progression, and react to situations rather than proactively address them, you are probably busy.On the other hand, if you prioritize tasks, use time efficiently, achieve goals effectively, and take proactive measures to prevent issues or setbacks, you are more likely to be productive.

Productivity demonstrates your ability to focus on what truly matters, prioritize tasks, manage time effectively, and consistently progress toward goals.As a productive individual, you're more likely to grow personally and professionally, gain recognition for your accomplishments, and become a valuable asset, ultimately enhancing your career prospects and overall life satisfaction.

Set clear goals, prioritize tasks, focus on measurable outcomes, and improve time management, delegation, and automation skills.

Yes, time management techniques will help you better organize your day, allocate sufficient time for high-priority tasks, and minimize distractions, boosting productivity.

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