avatarDayana Sabatin

Summary

The article discusses the importance of distinguishing between being busy and being productive, emphasizing strategies to enhance productivity through setting small attainable goals and creating a master planning system.

Abstract

The article "How to Stop Being Busy and Start Being Productive" addresses the common misconception that being busy equates to being productive. The author shares personal struggles with an overwhelming to-do list that led to a lack of actual progress. To combat this, the article suggests focusing on small, incremental goals that are more achievable and motivating, rather than getting overwhelmed by larger tasks. Additionally, it highlights the necessity of a well-thought-out planning system, both for long-term life goals and for daily tasks, to provide direction, eliminate distractions, and ensure accountability. The author argues that this approach to productivity is more aligned with the success strategies of high achievers like Warren Buffett and is supported by psychological research on goal setting.

Opinions

  • The author believes that a long to-do list does not necessarily lead to productivity, as it can cause one to jump from task to task without completion.
  • Being productive is defined by completing tasks, not just adding them to a list or thinking about them.
  • Small goals are seen as the key to building momentum and confidence, which can lead to achieving more significant ambitions.
  • A master planning system is crucial for success, as it offers a clear sense of direction and helps to stay focused on what truly matters.
  • The author endorses the idea of having both a life plan for long-term goals and a day plan for daily actions, which is a method also recommended by entrepreneur Grant Cardone.
  • Planning and organization are credited with reducing stress and improving productivity levels.
  • The article suggests that society often confuses busyness with productivity, and it encourages readers to reassess their daily habits to ensure they are truly productive.

How to Stop Being Busy and Start Being Productive

If applied, you’re finally going to start seeing some progress.

Pexels

I want to share something I struggle with. I struggle with getting the things that need to be done — done.

Here’s the thing, “busy” is considered the new “productive” quite a lot these days. For that reason, I constantly have 10–15 things on my to-do list, believing that doing them all will result in an incredibly productive day.

It doesn’t. In fact, it results in little to no work being done on a daily basis.

I thought that having a visual of everything I want to accomplish in a day would help me. That it would allow me to have a sense of urgency to work quickly to be able to cross things off one by one, but instead, it made me jump from one task to another without actually completing the task at hand.

Busy vs. Productive

Understanding the difference between being busy and being productive is critical here. You can be busy clearing out your Gmail. Meanwhile, the bills on your counter remain untouched despite “pay bills” being on your to-do list.

You can be busy writing down all of your goals. Meanwhile, you’re not physically doing anything to get closer to those goals.

Writer Jennifer Cohen wrote in a piece for Forbes,

Busy people tend to be great at “looking busy,” whereas productive people are merely “getting it done.” A productive person’s list of to-dos does not include something like “call Samantha about the reports” because they’ve already called her and handled it. No wasting time. No dilly-dallying and putting something on a to-do list to just look at later. Consider it done.

The bottom line is this; the only way you’re going to reach any of the goals you’ve set for yourself is by being productive — not by being busy. I’m fairly certain that Warren Buffett doesn’t have a trilogy for a to-do list, and neither should you.

With that being said, here are a few ways that you can stop being busy and start being productive.

Don’t Think Big — Think Small

This might be pretty controversial, but whatever happened to setting small and attainable goals? It’s all about the incremental gains in your life. You start small, and as each one of your small goals builds up your motivation and pushes you farther and further down the line, you’ll eventually become more confident and try more challenging things.

Instead of getting overwhelmed by staring at the top of the mountain you want to climb, get comfortable with where you’re at currently. Then, learn to put one foot in front of the other and just start climbing.

Your small goals will stack up, and eventually, you’re going to be 1–2 steps away from your massive and audacious goals.

Psychologist Frank Small says,

Breaking down any long-term goals into smaller, more attainable goals helps to promote achievement and success. For example, for athletes, short-term goals are important because they allow them to see immediate improvements in performance and thereby enhance motivation. Without short-term goals, athletes can lose sight of their long-term objectives and the sub-goals needed to attain them.

While I’m a big advocate for ambitious goals, setting small ones can serve you better in order for you to work your way up.

How to do this:

It’s actually a lot harder to think smaller. Small goals often feel too easy, even though they will help you grow closer towards your end goal.

For example, if your goal is to become a published author, you might be thinking that writing every morning at the same time is too easy. But is it? Have you tried it? Because I personally have and let me tell you, it’s hard.

Learn to commit to small goals and, little by little, allow them to grow on their own. Instead of telling yourself you’re going to write a book in one month, set a goal to write a doable amount of pages per day or even a certain amount of words per day.

If your goal is to lose a certain amount of weight, instead of saying, “I want to lose X lbs in X amount of time,” set a goal to work out 3–4x a week, or include a certain amount of healthy meals into your lifestyle. Inch by inch, you’ll grow closer to your big goals until you eventually achieve them.

Create a Master Planning System

How many times have you heard, “You’ve got to have a plan if you want to be successful.” Now, how many times have you actually had a realistic plan that was thoroughly thought out and well planned?

For example, I always had some sort of outline of a plan. I’ve always known that I wanted to be a writer, but I never knew what steps I had to take in order to get to that place. Did I need to go to college? Some said yes, so I went for a while, then dropped out because it didn’t align with my goals.

Did I need to have a full-time job while trying to make my side hustle work? Yes and no, I started working for a tech company that took up 99% of my time and didn’t allow me to do much else, which ended up setting me back. Could I have done something else? Absolutely. Could I have created a 1–2–3 or even 5-year plan that could have helped me reach my goals faster? 100% yes.

Why do you need to create a plan?

  • It will provide you with a sense of direction
  • Eliminates unnecessary distractions from your life
  • Allows you to hold yourself accountable

Your plan is essentially your guide; it’s your blueprint and what you will always come back to in your times of struggle. This doesn’t mean it won’t ever change, but the basis of it will almost always remain the same.

What kind of plans do you need?

This depends solely on you, but in an article written for Entrepreneur, Grant Cardone recommends having two plans.

A life plan, which is what we went over above. This is where you go over your overall goals in life; you’re going to be looking at things from a macro perspective and asking yourself what you want out of your career, family, life, etc.

The second kind of plan is a day plan; this is where you identify what you need to do daily to reach those big goals you set in your life plan. By planning out your day — even your week, you take control over your life. You start taking action, and eventually, those little and big goals you’ve set for yourself start coming to fruition.

How to do this:

Take a moment, take a few hours, whatever you need, and identify your life goals. Then, determine what steps you need to take in order to achieve them. Write it all down because every time you write out your day, you’ll have more direction and certainty.

For example, at the start of 2021, I decided to buy a planner and organize my life in it, I jot down 3–4 things that I absolutely need to get done every single day, and I have a certain amount of things that I want to accomplish weekly.

This can look differently for you, whether you’re a fan of time blocking and crunching out multiple things per day or you prefer to keep things simple and have 2–3 items on your to-do list, whichever method works best for you — utilize it. Don’t underestimate the power of planning and organizing your life.

Planning will allow you to feel less stressed, and it’ll keep you focused on the things that really matter.

Grant Cardone says,

People seldom achieve anything significant by stumbling around day to day.

The bottom line is this; we all fall into the category of being “busy” rather than productive; that's just life. The important thing is understanding the difference and changing our ways when we realize that our “busyness” isn’t getting us anywhere.

Next time you find yourself wanting to have a productive day, try the two simple yet effective steps I mentioned above and see how drastically it improves your productivity levels.

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Productivity
Motivation
Self Improvement
Life
Lifestyle
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