Just because someone is busy does not mean that person is being productive. Being busy and being productive are two things that many people get mixed up. You can be busy but unproductive. You could also be busy and productive at the same time.
Being busy means being occupied with a task. The task may be to look through your email, respond to clients’ emails, or writing a blog post. However, not all tasks are productive. In order to identify which tasks are productive, you need to ask yourself what your main goals are. After you ask yourself what your main goals are, ask yourself how the task at hand lines up with your main goals.
Checking your inbox most likely has nothing to do with recording a video for YouTube. Checking the inbox makes you busy but unproductive. Writing a blog post related to a book you are writing is productive towards accomplishing the main goal. Therefore, writing the blog post allows you to be both busy and productive at the same time.
Always being busy does not necessarily mean you will get better results. It is how you spend your time when you are busy that decides the kinds of results you will see in the long run. If you are busy and productive at the same time, your results are going to look really good.
Enjoyed the article, puts things into perspective that actions towards your goals are more productive and eventually rewarding compared to just being busy.
Thank you Jodi. This is one of the most important differences to nail down, especially since many people live busy (but not necessarily productive) lives.
Thanks for sharing! It’s always about focusing on the goal. If whatever you’re doing is not bringing you closer toward the fulfilment of that goal, then it’s not being productive.
My pleasure Galilea. It is important for people to make this distinction if they wish to move forward.