Activity and Accomplishment

If you are busier than you would like to be, but also less productive, then read on. As the world tentatively opens back up, in the face of the coronavirus, now is an excellent time to re-evaluate what we are doing, and why.

As we get moving again, here is a question for you: How busy are you these days? Now, here’s another question: How productive are you? As most of us know, the two just aren’t the same. All too often, being busy may have nothing at all to do with the results we get and what we achieve.

We spend our days, often very long days, in a flurry of activity. But, when the day or week is over, we’re disappointed at the level of our accomplishment. Our disappointment creates stress and we push ourselves even harder to “get more done.” However, pushing hard isn’t the answer, either, as we weigh ourselves down with the volume of expectations.

So, what is the answer? With experience, we find a sense of priorities based on a clear purpose and well-defined short- and long-term goals are what we need. The world is full of folks who are definitely in motion, but they’re not exactly sure where they’re going. And, they don’t know why, either. Perhaps they get going so fast that they never take the time to figure it out. If that’s your situation, perhaps it is time to set aside a few moments for personal reflection, some values clarification and goal-setting.

There’s nothing like a strong sense of purpose, based on clearly spelled out values, to keep you moving. But more than that, it keeps you moving in the right direction. Without it, as the saying goes, we may be climbing a ladder to nowhere.

There is enough stress in the world right now that we don’t need to manufacture more for ourselves. Take the time and space to discover what accomplishment truly means, for you. Understand the difference between accomplishment and “busy-ness” for the sake of looking busy. Give yourself the opportunity to discover a new truth, for you.