Are you being busy or productive?

Can you remember the last time you had a really productive day at work? What made that day in particular feel so productive compared to other days?

I’d bet good money it was because you got a lot of important things done. I don’t know about you, but I feel productive when I “produce”.

Why then do we still confuse being productive with being busy? Why do we renew our annual subscription to the 12-hour workday club without even thinking? Why do we keep such a close eye on inputs instead of outcomes?

Because it’s easier. To measure outcomes is harder. You have to know which outcomes are valuable. It also takes more management and leadership virtue.

We need to redefine productivity so that we don’t confuse being busy with productivity. The below quote I saw on Twitter sums it up nicely:

“Productivity is simply getting the result you want. If you get the result you want, then you are productive. If you don’t get the result you want, then you’re not productive.” - @Thibaut

Some amount of our busyness is productive. But career and business journeys are more like marathons than sprints. If we want to last the distance we need to focus on outcomes over inputs. Then we can tame the twin beasts of busyness and burnout.