There is a difference between being busy and being productive. This fine line is what sets successful people apart from others. Here’s how to be successful and not busy
A lot of us are chasing success, somehow. We want fulfilling and challenging careers and others have big visions when it comes to business ventures. Somehow, being busy makes us feel that we are doing something that leads us to success. To my own shock, I have learned that this is far from the truth! Working ourselves to exhaustion just leads to that: exhaustion and not necessarily success. While I was in matric, in 2007, somewhere around the world there was a lady who collapsed in her office because of severe exhaustion, and it is further said that this resulted in a broken cheekbone and stitches to her eye. This woman is, yes, let’s say it together Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post, one of the world’s successful online news portals. Since then Arianna has been an advocate for sleep and rest.
READ MORE: Why You Need To Sleep Your Way To The Top
This seems like a scientific formula to many people who feel the need to work very hard to be successful. After all, many celebrities and business people brag about working themselves to the bone with little or barely any sleep to get to the top. While this seems admirable it’s a question of how realistic it is to overwork yourself? So let’s go back to basics, the dictionary defines being busty as working hard or concentrating on a task so that you are not free to do anything else. While being productive, on the other hand, means doing a lot for the amount of resources used. I have learned that being busy somehow is a waste of time. Time to spend with your family, time to be productive, and especially time to rest. Being busy isn’t the key to success, being productive is. For somehow who confesses to being busy I have sure learned that I have been wasting time and precious sleep instead of being productive. Here are five ways to master the art of being productive:
Create a to-do-list: This will help you prioritise and put to words the most important things that you have to tackle, from your appointments to the follow-up e-mails, as well as deadlines you have to meet.
Quit multitasking: Get rid of the super (wo) man mentality and instead of doing 100 things at once, set time to do and complete each task that needs your attention.
Take more breaks: Instead of overwhelming your brain with a lot of work take small coffee breaks or do something relaxing, like meditating as that will help you recharge.
Track your time: Whether you are working from home or at the office track your time to see when you are most productive and what you usually spend most of your timing doing.
I guess we learn something new every day. So next time you feel you are busy, rather choose to be productive.
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