Busy is easy, production is hard.
We can address the urgent, the fires that nip at the sneakers or we can fight for the time to work on the important that will burn the building. Answering the bigger questions that require critical thinking, creativity, vulnerability and brain sweat is where your best work awaits. When my son was helping me with a handyman business, he would make his way down the checklist marking things off the list; install two light switch plates, check; install three light bulbs, check; tighten towel rack, check. By mid-day, he would point out that I was still not complete with my one thing; painting all the walls of the townhouse, guilty. My temptation is to clear the inbox of urgent and be rewarded with a quick dopamine rush vice invest in the hard work that requires the best of everything I have to deliver.
I have been working to rid my vocabulary of the term "busy". How am I doing? "Keeping busy". Yeah man, I am busy. Busy is what I am all about. Wrong, what am I producing? How am I making a direct impact on my family or customers? My performance metrics are off, I am measuring the wrong things. I mustn't cater to the fragility of the gossamer wings of my pride. Deep down, we know when we are really producing and when we just busy. The Internet will continue to expand, there is no need to reach the end, set busyness aside and invest in producing your best work.
Going Further: What is your process for combating busyness? What beliefs tempt you to busyness? How do you celebrate consistent production? What are the benefits of trading busyness for producing your best work? What hindrances may derail your efforts to pursue producing your best work?