Most people think being busy at work equals high productivity. However, that is not true. You can be booked throughout the day, but still not get anything done.
Working 8 hours a day is a very common situation in workplaces. Employees are required to be highly productive every single day, in the hope of driving more revenue to the company. However, a study conducted by Voucher Cloud revealed that the average UK office worker is only productive for 2 hours and 53 minutes of the working day. Are you really productive or just keeping yourself busy in the office?
There’s this misconception where people think being busy means being productive. Yet, busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against emptiness, Tim Kreider said in the New York Times. Don’t let yourself fall into this trap.
Productive vs. Busy
Keeping yourself busy doesn’t always equate to productivity. You might be engrossed in heaps of duties, feeling exhausted, but you’re still left with heaps of unfinished tasks when the day ends. You’ll feel overwhelmed—the deadlines are coming, but you are, well, too busy to finish them on time.
On the other hand, when you are strategically productive, you will be able to complete your workload without feeling drained during the day. All tasks are timely and you might still be able to catch a short break.
You surely don’t want to waste your time in the office. Read along to learn the difference between busy and productive people, and change your working habits:
Productive people only put some items on their to-do list, while busy people have long to-do lists.
One clear sign that you are productive is when your goals are cleared during the day. However, jumping from one task to another without a clear direction isn’t productive, it’s just busyness. It’s important for you to begin the day by determining your goals and listing tasks that you should complete by the end of the day.
Productive people create a system, while busy people are distracted.
It’s easy to get distracted when you’re doing your boring work. Yet, productive people don’t check their phone or email inbox every three minutes. Creating a thorough plan for the day, even down to email checking, can help you stay focused. If you need it, use healthy distractions like fidget gadgets or stress balls instead of scrolling your phone.
Productive people single-task, while busy people multitask.
Multitasking will lead to lack of focus, resulting in the lack of focus and nonoptimal quality of work. Instead, try to manage your task one by one and set a timeframe to finish each of them. Break the task into even smaller subtasks, if you need to. By doing this, your tasks will be done effectively and you will still have time for a break.
Productive people say ‘yes’ strategically, while busy people say ‘yes’ to everything.
You might want to impress your boss by accepting every task given to you. Doing so without a strategy, however, can waste your time. You need to weigh the urgency, the required time to accomplish it, the due date, and the people involved in the task before saying yes to a task.
Productive people take breaks, while busy people are glued to their desks.
Contrary to popular belief, taking a break is not procrastinating. Being busy and always sticking to your laptop will result in employee burnout. A survey from Aflac stated that 59% of American workers are experiencing at least moderate levels of burnout. Instead, do take a walk or a short nap. This will recharge your energy and make your performance better.
Final Thoughts
Even though it may not be apparent, there is a stark difference between productive and busy people at work. Productivity is about effectiveness, and you might not look busy while doing it. It’s not something that can be achieved in one night; with enough perseverance, you, too, can be a productive worker.
Next Read: 8 Podcasts That Will Upgrade Your Knowledge and Productivity
