Busy vs. Productive
Happy Sunday Team,
When I became CEO, following our Founder of 25 years, I expected some changes like new conversations, a few new reporting structures, and some new administrative duties. One thing I didn’t expect was a phrase that I’ve heard over and over the past two weeks.
“I know you’re really busy, but…”
First, I want to point out that I understand why most of my conversations have begun this way recently. To those that may be reading this and thinking that I’m annoyed with this salutation, please know that that is not the case. In fact, the opposite is true. Our team is full of people who are considerate and polite, never wanting to impose.
But this word “busy” stuck in my head this week. These are some words that I associate with “busy:”
- Reactionary
- Bad
- Frantic
- Out of Control
- Late
- Rushed
- Crammed
- Inefficient
I don’t like to feel busy. I’ve always tried to keep my schedule full and manage my time well. This includes blocking time for lunch, breaks, email, and deep work like writing, editing, or creating. Time unmanaged is time lost. Am I always successful with this time management? No way! But those failures are a warning sign to me, and I hope that can be true for many of us. When we’re feeling busy, it is time to start saying “No.”
Focus
In our company, we’ve talked a lot about focus this year. Busy is a focus killer. If we want to focus, we have to say “No” to the wrong things. The result is less “busy” and more focus.
These aren’t new ideas. If you’re feeling “busy” rather than “full” or “productive”, check out some of the links below that I dug up on the subject.
One final thought: Many have heard me describe systems and structures in need of change throughout the year. For the most part I’ve left this concept open-ended, but here is a great test to see if a system or structure in your world needs to change. If you’re feeling busy and unable to take control, what is the system or structure that is causing that? What about your environment, structure, or systems lead to the lack of control and demands that lead to feelings of busyness? These would be great areas of opportunity to explore with your team and/or manager.
Power Tool: Busy vs. Productive — a good article, complete with this excellent graphic
