Morning Brew: A publication by R.I.S.E.

Are You Productive or Just Busy?

By Kevin Pendergrass

We hear it all the time, don’t we? You know what I am talking about. A typical conversation these days seems to center around how “busy” we all are. Does the following sound familiar?

“How have you been doing?”

"I’ve just been really busy! How about yourself?”

“Yeah, I have been really busytoo.”

We live in a society where thedominating presupposition is thatbeing busy means we are beingproductive. The logic follows thatthe busier you are, the moreproductive you will be. However,such is not the case. Researchhas shown the exactopposite to be true, and that busyness actually makes you less productive (Forbes, Mar. 29th, 2016).

For the sake of this article, I want to focus on the concept of being “busy” when it comes to your business--- especially as it pertains to marketing. Have you ever met that person who is at every event and involved in every networking group possible? They are the person always rushing around trying to get to the next event, and when you are speaking with them you can tell their mind is somewhere else. Let me give you 3 reasons why this is not a good habit for business people:

Reason #1: You don’t have time to reflect upon and measure your ROI. When you are keeping yourself constantly busy, you don’t have the time to examine the results of what you are doing. You will convince yourself that what you are doing is essential and continue to press forward. Unfortunately, when you do this, you are missing out on what matters the most: results.

Reason #2: You will have a lack of focus. When you are going in a million different directions, you have no time to focus. David Meyer, from the University of Michigan, published a study showing that multitasking increases the time it takes you to finish both tasks by 25%. “Multitasking is going to slow you down, increasing the chances of mistakes,” Meyer said. “Disruptions and interruptions are a bad deal from the standpoint of our ability to process information.” (Forbes, Mar. 29th, 2016).

Reason #3: You will have added stress.When you think of someone who is always busy, you typically think of someone who is always stressed. Beingconstantly stressed has some major negative personal consequences on both body and mind, but for this article Iwant to stick to the consequences it has in your business. If you are stressed, chances are those around you willbecome stressed. This means that the environment you create for yourself and others will not be as productive as it could be. This will not only hinder your own productivity, but could also hinder the productivity of those around you.