Are you being productive, or just busy for the sake of busy?

When's the last time you paused and took stock of your calendar? In this two-part column, we explore the correlation (or lack thereof) between being busy and being successful, and explore how to navigate activity with purpose. Read part one here

In a society where we wear our busyness like a badge of honour, it's undeniable that all this activity might actually be deterring from our true purpose. By keeping our calendars full, we might be forgetting to live with intention and, even more crucially, we might be negatively impacting our well-being and health.

But how do we navigate a society that’s wired us to believe that success is a direct result of being busy?

Debunking the myth: Busy does not result in success

Mette Johansson, founder of Singapore-based career consultancy Metamind dismisses the notion that busyness leads to success. “If there is a correlation between success and busyness, it is certainly an inverse one. You can be a high achiever and have a tight schedule, which I don’t see as busyness. Busyness leads to us doing low priority things, which has an inverse correlation with success. 

“We have a limiting belief that the best way to get a bonus or promotion is to work harder and more hours, and respond to everything our bosses tell us to do. 

However, if we believe that every hierarchy step means another handful of hours of work, there would simply not be enough hours in the week for the big bosses in this world. 

“The fact is, setting the right priorities, saying ‘no’ to less important work, deleting and delegation, and doing that well (as well as making sure our good work is visible) are the more important leadership skills. When people understand this – and it is not such a difficult concept – they start taking action towards being less busy,” says Mette.

The middle manager squeeze

It’s perhaps one of the biggest lessons of leadership, especially at the middle management level. Having been a middle manager before, I can attest to the fact that by focusing on low-priority, mind-numbing tasks, I thought I was being productive, and that I was helping the team with the nitty-gritty. But it had the opposite effect: Focusing on low-level activity tired me out and took up precious time, not allowing me to focus on what truly mattered. 

“Middle management often pushes the wishes further down instead of critically looking at what is important – often their lack of standing up for their teams means that a lot of them are busy doing lower-priority tasks,” explains Mette. 

“Being busy or juggling multiple things without a clear direction or end goal means that you are constantly working on too many deliverables, which could create longer lead times to complete tasks,” adds Farina Ghanie, founder of health and wellness platform Arise. 

Distinguishing between being busy or productive 

But, you might argue, you really do have a million things to juggle: You need to meet deadlines to get that promotion, you need to take care of the kids, you need to work out, you need to socialise… How can any of this not be useful or productive? 

We’re not advocating giving up your tasks. Instead, we suggest evaluating whether the multitude of activities you fit into your day truly contribute to your life’s purpose and meaning.

There is a way to distinguish between being busy and being productive. Ruchi Parekh, executive and life coach at her eponymous company, breaks it down: First, you might start noticing that you’re finding it harder to focus on the task at hand. 

Then, you might also start feeling like you’re dropping some of the balls that you’re juggling. She says: “Feeling overwhelmed or stressed often are signs of being caught in the ‘busyness’ cycle. You are doing a lot of work, but not getting the results you desire, which may be unproductive for you and your work.” 

There’s also a lack of fulfilment and satisfaction, and a “sense that you are constantly running on the treadmill”. You might also be too busy to care about yourself, and you tend to forget your own needs, leading to burnout. 

And lastly, you might notice that the quality of your work diminishes. “You end up making more errors than normal, because the mind feels chaotic and out of sorts. You end up rushing towards deadlines, and it impedes the ability to focus and deliver your best work,” says Ruchi. 

Breaking the cycle 

So once you’ve identified the signs, what can you do to break the cycle of busyness? 

Farina suggests being intentional, and working smart: “Focus on the tasks at hand. Have clear outcomes and deliverables you would like to achieve.” 

This effectively means: Stop multitasking. Farina cautions against doing several tasks at the same time, adding: “Only a small proportion of the population can multitask effectively, and for those less able, mistakes and errors are likely to occur.” 

Do, delegate or delete

Mette recommends prioritising your tasks by choosing one of the three Ds: Do, delegate or delete. 

She adds: “First-time leaders that I work with often have big difficulties with delegating. They think it is better to do it themselves – ignoring that teaching others to do it is better in the long run. The business also comes with the reluctance to delete. We do way too many ‘nice to haves’. This is often because leaders don’t know how long something takes, and if it is nice to have, they ask their teams to do it, not realising how they are shooting themselves in the foot. Leaders will look much better if their entire team is productive; not if they are busy with ‘nice-to-haves’.” 

Finally, there is one skill that’s valuable in all other areas of life too: Learning how to say no. “This is a life skill that will free up your mind and life, allowing you time and energy to prioritise things that are important to you,” says Ruchi.  

As she puts it: “Breaking the cycle of busyness needs intentional action and commitment to prioritising yourself.”