We all have those days where we busy to the point of exhaustion (today was one for me hence this blog entry). But how often do you stop and ask yourself if you are being productive or just busy? In 4 Hour Work Week Tim Ferris intelligently suggest that asking this single question several times a day can work wonders in keeping you on track if, when you find you are simply busy but not productive, you stop what you are doing and get back to doing whatever it is that will move you toward your goals. It's entirely too easy to get distracted doing things that seem important; but if they aren't positively impacting our success they are likely more of a distraction than necessity (as always there are exceptions). It's important to ask the "Busy vs. Productive" question of everything you do. I'm less concerned about the 10 minute game of solitaire at lunch than the one hour conference call you have to endure, accomplishing nothing. If you can, find a creative way to get out of it and get back to doing something productive. In a business context ask yourself whether your current activity is helping you make money or get closer to doing so, if not, it's probably time to shift gears. Of course making money isn't the only goal, or even the ultimate goal of many businesses though it is an essential one. But we'll talk more about that tomorrow.

Labels: productivity