I've been busy productive lately; my job keeps me on the go and I have the need to push hard, lean into it to efficiently and effectively accomplish what's required; they pay me commensurate to my efforts of course - I'd not do it otherwise - and I'm good at the job but it takes a toll and sometimes I wonder if it's worth it, the price I pay for...the price I pay for my pay.
I'm often asked how my day is going in conversations with people I meet professionally, colleagues, clients and so on, and I always, always, answer with:
"It's been productive so far, how about yours," or words to that effect.
I never say, "busy," as that, indicates it's been somewhat out of control - not something I want to accept or present to others.
I may have many things to do and not enough time to do them, but I focus on preparation, prioritisation, delegation, efficiency, accuracy, diligence, attentiveness and other things that help me have an effective day - things that make me productive - and I don't like the thought or feeling of lack of control to creep in as that leaves the chance of feeling out of my depth and that's a slippery slope., it changes one's attitudes and actions.
Feeling productive rather than busy, having that ethos and mindset, helps me to push forward and create better habits, processes and procedures and find efficiencies to work smarter towards my goals whether short, medium or long-term; it's a shift of mindset with a huge impact, for me at least.
The truth is that I'm busy, always, but giving in to it will not fix, prevent or move it forward; only ownership, effort and responsibility will do that and that requires the right attitude hence the productive over busy ethos I embrace.
Life seems more fast-paced now than it used to, certainly in my professional life where economic factors, an ever-changing business environment and the need for flexibility has meant one needs to find efficiencies; I wish it wasn't so, but keeping up is the only option. I wonder if you experience the same in your professional life and what measures you have in place to manage the process, the complexity, workload and your own thoughts and attitudes to keep you on track.
Feel free to comment below if you have any thoughts on the productive over busy mindset or any other thoughts you feel are pertinent.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
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Image(s) in this post are my own
It's a rat-race no matter how much I don't want to think it so. Handling it is just by accepting it the way it is and maintaining a positive and a grateful attitude through and through.😊
That's a good attitude to have; how do you manage to keep yourself positive?
There are reasons why I keep going, even when it gets tough. I am so grateful for my kids and the much or little I'm able to do, to give them a good life. You know that makes me feel that the rat-race is not too 'bad' after all 😊
That's a good reason...it's important to know why we work so hard and keep pushing through, as that makes it easier to do the things to move us forward.
I agree 💯
I really need to try and make an effort to be more proactive with things that are happening with my job. It's hard though when 80% of your job is basically putting out fires. When things are running well it makes you feel like you are just a lazy POS or unambitious. I guess if you take a step back though it just means you prepared well during the other 20% of the time...
Being reactive (rather than proactive) is something I don't like at all; it makes me feel unproductive and out of control of my own workflow and while I get the job done it leaves me feeling quite out of sorts. It's an area I've worked on, dealing with that feeling, and manage it well but it's an aspect of my work that I don't enjoy.
In respect of unbalanced workflow, busy then not, I tend to use the less busy times to plan ahead for those when I know I'll be busy or I take a moment for myself, a cafe, home early, longer lunch with a colleague, meeting my partner for an hour in the workday, that sorry of thing; it helps balance things out.
I just spend most of my time on Hive :) It's funny though because when you are dealing with teachers and kids, I don't think there is any amount of preparation that can get you ready for some of the stuff we have thrown at us. I kid you not, I had a girl singing up for a prison pen pal site the other day with her school email account. How do you anticipate that!?
Lol, prison pen pal...a seriously bad mistake for a young girl, kinda funny though.
I'm spending less and less time on Hive lately, for various reasons, and don't spend any at all when I'm on the clock for work...which is a lot of the time.
I sit at a desk pretty much all day, so I am fortunate to be able to do my hive thing while taking care of other stuff in tandem.
Hi Galen, when it comes to my work life, there are some things I can control and some things I cannot. As for some of the ones I can control, such as my training and being prepared for new changes, at the moment I am studying a short course on on-line patient care. This activity will probably end up being regulated and only those of us with official accreditation will be able to do it. This is one of the ways to remain competitive in a constantly changing market. Be attentive to the changes that may come. Best regards
Life swings us between things we can and cannot control and I think it's best to push forward with the mindset that seeks to control what can be controlled and not worry about those things that cannot; I've seen so many people stressed and worried about things they have no influence over at all and it's rarely productive.
I see it this way too, about things that can be controlled, one must make the effort to control them, including what is foreseeable to happen. Putting the focus on what is not up to us can be quite frustrating and unproductive.
The energy wasted on things we cannot control or influence can always be better-placed somewhere else right?
I hope you're having a good weekend. I got some great news from my nephew today, (Hive post coming up soon) and did a little shopping...bought a box set of Blu-Ray DVD's (Hive post coming this week) and had lunch with my girl. Overall it was a good Sunday. Now it's almost 1700h and I'm thinking about what's for dinner...but coffee first.
Have a good Sunday.
I am very glad that everything is going well. I'm just getting started, what looks like it's going to be a sunny, spring-like Sunday. Have a great Sunday and great week , hugs
It is certainly better to use the word productive than busy. The productive one generates something and the busy one does not necessarily.
It is better to refer to the first word, the brain will take it better and the person will be much less overwhelmed. The busy one cannot always solve the productive one can.
I feel more productive than busy, although sometimes it happens to me that I am very busy with many things, not only work, but the focus is what helps me in those circumstances.
Focus is important. We all have many things pulling and pushing us in many directions and it's easy to succumb to it but if something is so important then it's worth devoting full focus to it right?
Yes it's true... focus, prioritise and move on!
I wish more people understood and fully appreciated the value of semantics. It is a real gamechanger when it comes to reassessing one's own internal dialogue. The art of expressing ourselves using words in a more precise manner is priceless! Now, I'm off to go get busy being more productive!
They say we think in images, but words often drive those images I guess...it's smart to use words to trigger certain thoughts and feelings I guess. Works for me.
If a picture is worth a thousand words then a symbol is worth a thousand pictures. hahaha
Haha...that's me trying to work out anything that has to do with math.
Constantly dwelling on how busy we are and making excuses can trap us in a cycle of inaction. It is not the busyness itself that holds us back — it is the mindset.
Shifting our focus from excuses to solutions and embracing a proactive attitude is key to getting things done. When we commit to conquering our challenges, we can find the drive and energy to push through obstacles, paving the way to real progress! 💪
I wrote a post called work don't worry which I have linked in one of the other comments on this post which talks about the benefits of just getting on with it rather than making excuses or whining about workload or what's gone wrong.
You said, "commit to conquering our challenges," which really stands out to me...it's the right mindset indeed.
Oh let me dig out the post for a read, will be interested in that! Yeah that is pretty much my mindset over the past couple of months when work schedule and life gets really tough. Instead of sulking over the what-ifs, I rather grind it out and get it over and done with! I guess having a goal in mind does help in someway as well! 😉
https://peakd.com/hive-126152/@galenkp/work-dont-worry
Yup already found it within the comment section! 😅
Must have missed this post back in Jan as it was peak season for me!
Would have love to read it then.
Sometimes I felt frustrated when I thought too much about taking advantage of every minute of my life to be productive, and I forgot to enjoy all those things and people that surround me and I like, today I am not in a hurry and I am growing every day and enjoying the process, and from time to time I sin to break the diet, go to a party, watch a series, without leaving aside my good habits and without a doubt I enjoy every day while my value continues to increase.
There's a time for productivity, my post today is related to work situation, one's professional life, rather than personal life. I get paid well to do my job and so have to deliver results, not being productive won't go well for the organisation or me; there's no going to parties or watching a series in my work day.
Sorry I misunderstood the question, would it be if you are really happy with the work you do, because in your words you notice some dissatisfaction?
No worries.
Yeah, I'm sometimes dissatisfied with my work, however I think most people probably are from time to time if they're honest about it. I generally like my job but there's complexities sometimes and aspects that I don't enjoy...but they pay me to do the job and I'll always do the best I can. You?
Even though the pay is very bad, I continue to do the best I can because I really like it, but sometimes I think if I should have chosen another profession because a teacher is not valued as she should be or maybe I am frustrated.
It speaks highly of your character that you continue to deliver your best efforts. Well done.
With the advancement in technology, I think everyone is busy. Long gone are the days when an employee is fully free once they clock out. Some can be on call, receive emails, or think about their work at home. At work, it is easy to be busy. Going through all emails, important or not, can take up a lot of time. But being productive is better. Fixing problems, improving systems, and working efficiently. Not everyone can do it, and it is usually the ones that are productive that get the necessary work done.
And yet technology is meant to "make things easier."
You're right though, I remember my dad coming home and being with the family but these days work tends to follow a person around, speaking from personal experience. I think it's important to know when to shut off though, which I'm pretty good at, and also to be productive when at work (or working) to minimise the need to work outside of hours.
It is still true, just not the way we wanted it. Technology makes things easier for the company. They can contact the employee anytime, anywhere. Increase productivity and whatnot for the same number of work hours.
Exactly!
Thank you because you have made me embrace a fresh understanding about work. We should work, if you can never minding those who enjoyed doing the same or those who don't. In as much as we make some profit from it, it's not that we are just busy but being productive.
I'm pleased to read you've found some value in this post, I hope you'll be able to apply the concept.
When you do something with sincerity, that work is always successful. Be it your job or your business or any small task. I like this one thing of yours that no matter how much work you are under pressure, you don't let it show. This is a great trait that makes a successful person. Your posts always teach me something new. thank you very much. @galenkp
Allowing stresses and frustrations to show outwardly (especially to one's colleagues) rarely turns out very well. I don't like looking like a victim, nothing to gain in it, so I just get on with things and move forward; it's a work don't worry, ethos.
I wrote a post on it here: https://peakd.com/hive-126152/@galenkp/work-dont-worry
In my understanding and taking a reasoning upon this thought you have shared Sir, I now understand the true meaning of working hard. That means working a little more than others and making more income out of that. That is productivity. Others might not go that far and they can't make the extra earning.
Thank you for sharing this insight.
Putting a solid effort into what we do in our professional lives will often repay us well, even if that comes in the form of the satisfaction from doing a good job.
Lesson for today, it's not busy but productive. Thank you. @galenkp
One must never stop learning.
Thank you for sharing. 😊 @galenkp