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Many people believe that being busy is the ultimate way to show how hard they are working. They believe that if they are not seen to be doing something every minute of every day that they are lazy and not as hardworking and dedicated as others. These assumptions are far from the truth though, being busy doesn’t make you productive and can actually mean the opposite.

Most of us are probably having to work from home at the moment, this in itself can be a shock to the system, especially if you’re used to an office environment surrounded by colleagues.

I’ve also found that it also means that I actually get less work done than normal, this is mainly down to the fact that I’m not actually doing my normal job, but just general admin. Coming to terms with being able to get less done each day is actually quite hard to accept. I love the opportunity to just sit in front of the TV or read a book for a few hours, but something I have been told on multiple occasions is that I prioritise productivity over looking busy.

Being Busy Doesn’t Make You Productive

Despite what some people might tell you, being productive isn’t about being busy and getting lots done, it’s about doing less but focussing on what really makes a difference, and doing tasks well. You may have been sat at a desk for hours, ticking hundreds of actions off a to-do list, but did you complete every task to the best of your ability or did you simply focus on doing as much as possible in a limited amount of time?

The first thing I noticed about being at home with less work to do, was that I had less motivation and energy. As soon as I accepted that I had less energy and I needed to look after myself better I felt more relaxed and started looking at the tasks that I needed to do in a more pragmatic and less emotional way. I automatically felt more relaxed and less worried about looking busy.

I normally have a very rigid routine that I stick to during the week, suddenly not being at the office threw this out of the window. It took me a few days to create a new routine and regain the motivation to stick to it, but once I did I automatically felt myself drifting back into a healthy working mindset. Making my morning routine a priority before work helped me feel so much better throughout the day and the quality of my work was better.

It also encouraged me to introduce a new evening routine of turning off screens, picking up a book and then going to bed early. This helped me sleep better which in turn recharged me for the following day. This also reminded me that if you want to do more of something, the easiest way to do it is to make it part of your routine. I don’t always have reading as part of a daily routine so it has been lovely to have the opportunity to make time for it during the day.

I work with someone who loves to tell us each day just how productive he’s been, but what he really means is how many tasks he started, how many emails he replied to, how many meetings he’s attended and what else he has planned for the rest of the week. However, what he really means is that he’s been busy, often creating new tasks before he’s finished others and by answering lots of emails as quickly as possible he will look efficient and responsive to other people. The problem is that he doesn’t always finish tasks and they are often rushed with small mistakes as he has failed to notice the finer details.

The Differences Between Busy and Productive

Busy people react, productive people act
Busy people jump into action, productive people think before they act
Busy people multitask, productive people single-task
Busy people have many “priorities”, productive people focus their priorities
Busy people try to do everything themselves. Productive people use the right tools and resources to help them.
Busy people say yes to everything. Productive people choose to say yes/no.
Busy people keep talking about how busy they are. Productive people let the results speak for themselves.
Busy people respond to messages immediately. Productive people take their time to come up with a good answer.
Busy people want everyone around them to be busy. Productive people want everyone around them to be productive.