How To Figure Out If You're Unnecessarily Busy
Mindset Monday
Takeaway: Figure out if you’re wasting time with one simple question: “Is this activity productive or something I enjoy?”
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These days, everyone seems busy.
Off-the-charts busy.
Need-an-appointment-in-advance-to-see-your-friends busy.
Present-day hustle-culture has made busy, “sexy.” If you aren’t busy you aren’t doing enough, aren’t trying enough, or aren’t interesting enough.
But busy for the sake of busy actually makes you pretty dull.
Avoid being unnecessarily busy with this question:
“Is this activity productive or something I enjoy?”
If you enjoy the activity, then it doesn’t have to be productive. If you enjoy it, then doing it for fun is kind of the point.
If you don’t enjoy it, however, then it better be productive toward some goal you’re working on. Necessary-but-unenjoyable activities should push you forward. It should serve a purpose.
I used to produce an online magazine, and after a few months I realized I spent more time putting images into the magazine than focusing on the content itself. I hated searching for images, and in the end it didn’t serve much purpose for my intended goal of providing value to my readers.
It left me unnecessarily busy.
So I stopped. the product of that decision is this newsletter which is (mostly) image-free. More focus on the content. More productive, less busy.
Doing something you don’t enjoy that isn’t productive is where you waste your time.
Attending a party that you aren’t enjoying because of a perceived obligation to someone who hardly notices your presence while you’re there… Waste of time. Go do something else.
Finding an activity that you enjoy and moves you closer to a desired goal… That’s the sweet spot. When you find those unicorns, do more of that.
To less wasted time,
~ Coach Alex