How to Manage Being Busy vs. Being Productive
have a friend who always talks about how busy she is. She will literally call me to tell me her entire to-do list. While I patiently listen while folding laundry, I can't help but think about how much she could be getting done while she's taking the time to tell me how "busy" she is. On the other hand, after she has had a "productive" day, she will list off all of the little things she got accomplished.
I love her dearly, but this drives me bonkers! EVERYONE is busy, and no one cares what your to-do list looks like.
Being busy and being productive are NOT the same thing, especially when it comes to your work week. However, they are both still important.
As a small business owner you, no doubt, feel like you have a million things to do every day. I know, because most days I feel like that. I feel very "busy" which can lead to me feeling very stressed and produce little or, worse, poor results.
While there is going to be a lot to get done on any given day of owning a business, try to remember: there's a difference between the day-to-day and the bigger picture, aka, being busy vs. being productive. Both must be managed.
Here's how I differentiate being busy and being productive:
Being Busy: Having a massive to-do list of errands, phone calls, emails, etc. to manage in a short a mount of time usually leads one to be very busy.
Being Productive: Producing something of value that will prove to have long term benefits for your business.
Lets look at it through the lens of meetings. Busy meetings are like "all hands" meetings: the Monday morning round up of what everyone is doing and what they are trying to get done in the week. It's a lot of to-dos not a lot of deep focus.
Now, let's take a look at a content strategy meeting. That's a very specific part of your business that deserves some more serious attention. While you might not get a lot "done" so to say. Thinking out that strategy is very productive for your business moving forward.
Here are some guidelines for managing being busy and being productive in the same work week:
Manage the hours you have available. It’s not about the hours you work it’s about what you get done in those hours. If you only have four hours of time to work before back-to-back meetings- make them count
Not every day is going to be amazingly productive- that's okay! A lot of times you need to have the busy days or else your life wouldn't function properly. Some days you have to focus on the little day-to-day details.
Outsource what you can. To eliminate the constant feeling of being busy and stressing out about all the things you must get done, outsource simple tasks. Take a mental note of how long it takes you to do all the typical tasks you do in a week. What's taking you a lot of time? Should it be? Can you outsource it?
Search for tools. There are tons of tools out there that can help you streamline different processes and tasks.
Focus your meetings. A lot of time can be wasted going form meeting to meeting. Give meetings a time limit, say 20 minutes. Have a specific focus for the meeting with two options for each question you have. This helps you cut through a lot of the bullsh*t and get to the point. Another important tip: no cell phones and laptops allowed!
Know yourself. This is an important one! I know that some days (typically days after a late night) the ability to deeply focus on something is just not in the cards. I use these days to bang out a lot of the smaller things I need to get out of the way that don't take as much focus.
Prioritize the "busy" work. Try not to spend too much time on busy work you need to get done. I like to make a list of all the busy things I want to get done in a week. I put the most important things at the top. As long as I get to those, I don't stress about having to do the others until a later date.
