October 5, 2017
Is busy the new badge of honor? Fact is, people are busier than ever. However, far few people are productive. Instead of being busy, why don’t we strive to be more productive in our efforts every day?
I’m naturally a morning person. I get up around 5:30 am and after about 7:00 pm my brain shuts down. I’ve never been one of those students that could stay up all night studying and then go in and ace a test.
As I reflect on my days of working in Marketing Services at PNC Bank years ago, I realize our whole team had a busy addiction. The busier we were, the more accomplished we felt. I got to work every morning around 7:30 am. At noon, I would wolf down my lunch in record time so that I could quickly get back to my busyness. And when I left the office at 5:30 pm or 6:00 pm, I would announce that I was leaving work early because my norm for heading home was usually around 7:00 pm. There were many times when I worked almost every weekend and still never felt caught up.
It’s important to take some time to shut your brain down from the mundane day-to-day tasks of busyness. In fact, I get my best thinking done when I’m away from my desk, walking on the treadmill or just enjoying a quiet moment.
Over the years, I’ve come to realize the difference between being busy and being productive:
Nowadays, when I see no space on my calendar, I get a little anxious because I know I won’t have time to think. Busy is no longer impressive to me.
So, I challenge you to look at your calendar and determine what is busy work versus productive work. I bet you can clear out some of that stuff and not even think twice about it.
Have you been busy or productive lately? What things can you release on your things to do list?
“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”
-Stephen Covey
Often, when I tell someone to “Keep Dreaming,” it comes from a sarcastic place and means “this will never happen.” However, as I reflect on the crazy, challenging year we all experienced in 2020, I think it’s time to get back to our dreams literally.
At the beginning of 2020, I had big dreams. I had planned a February vacation trip to Thailand, a women’s conference in March, Florida in April, Aruba in June, and Hilton Head with cousins in October. All plans were canceled indefinitely. Getting refunds/credits from travel agencies, airlines and hotels became a significant challenge and took lots of energy.
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Hi! I'm LaNella Hooper-Williams. Through my blog, my mission is to give you tips and practical tools that will help you build a powerful brand and accomplish your personal and professional dreams. You’ll learn strategies that help you manage your personal brand, get noticed and rewarded for your unique talents, and gain greater career focus.
