There's a huge difference between being productive and busy. Here are some ways to ensure you are making the most of your time.
Have you ever felt like you are busy all of the time, but you aren’t accomplishing anything significant? It is easy to feel like you are working hard when you are actually just busy. I’ve been there many times before, and it can be detrimental to your goals.
Busyness Vs. Productivity
Productivity is not the same thing as busyness. Busyness, or activity without purpose, can lead to long-term exhaustion and burnout. On the other hand, productivity is an active process that requires focus and intention. It's about completing meaningful tasks in order of importance instead of how urgent they are or whether they're more enjoyable than others. One of the best ways to be productive is by prioritizing your work so that it doesn't feel like a chore!
The dead-end road of busyness...
It is easy to get caught up in the daily grind of never-ending emails, meetings, and projects that leave you feeling exhausted by the end of it. The day finally ends, and you feel accomplished because you were "busy," but if your time was spent on unimportant tasks, then there is nothing to show for it at the end of the day. Here are some ways I maintain productivity and complete day-to-day tasks.
1. Schedule a time to check emails. My best advice would be to check your emails in the morning and reply to them in the afternoon. Unless it is extremely important, there's no need to respond to an email right away. Not responding to emails right away will also help people value your time.
2. Prioritize your tasks. As someone creative, I come up with ideas all of the time. Sometimes, I veer off track because I have thought of something new to achieve. Leaving me to have unfinished work. Whenever I have a lot of things on my mind, I prioritize the most important task at hand and save the other ideas and projects for later. Make a list of everything you have on your plate and identify the most important task at hand.
3. Work on one task at a time. Just like taking it one day at a time, I recommend that you take on one thing at a time. In a world that encourages multitaskers, one of the best ways to be productive is to work on one thing at a time.
4. Plan your work. This goes along with working on one task at a time. If you have multiple projects, schedule times throughout your day and week to give each task undivided attention. Planning is one of the essential keys to productivity.
5. Take breaks. I can't stress this enough. It is almost impossible to complete tasks if you are burnt out from unnecessary busyness. As someone who has unsubscribed to late nights and early mornings, I can attest that this is one of the best decisions you can make regarding productivity. Taking a break will help you return to work with a fresh mind.
Bonus Tip.Set some simple rules for yourself. For example, try not to work on anything else until the most important task is finished. Or, if you find yourself getting distracted easily, set a timer and work for a set amount of time before taking a break.
In my latest book, Don't Wait Create, I provide more tips on being productive when executing projects.