When asked “how are you?”, the response of “busy” is a common crutch.
Many people seem to use it as a quick proxy for being productive and working hard.
What is the Difference?
So, I decided to look up how others define the difference. Here are two examples:
“Productive means producing large amounts of goods or commodities. Busy means having a great deal to do or keeping occupied.”
– eWomen Network
“When you are constantly busy, you may feel like you have a lot going on. However, in reality, you are probably accomplishing very little!
– Digital Marketing Institute
Then, I came across a story on Medium from John Spencer that said it all – he broke up with busy! The article starts with this paragraph and I would recommend you read the full story:
“Being busy is not the same as being productive. I spent years saying “yes” to every opportunity and packing my schedule with activities. It was the productivity version of a Michael Bay movie – lots of action but a general lack of meaning and character development and pacing. But then I had a moment when I “broke up with busy” and eventually learned the difference between being busy and being productive.”
– John Spencer
The Medium article also gave great advice and ideas on how to move from busy to productive.
How to Tell the Difference
The final article that I want to highlight is a simple chart from Superhuman that helps us understand when we are being busy and when we are productive.
My Story
I’ve made the journey from busy to productive.
The process didn’t happen overnight and I don’t know if I was intentional with the path or if it evolved over the years.
Either way, I now clearly see the difference and want to help others see “what could be”.
The boundaries, priority setting, push against the fear of missing out, and more aren’t easy, but the result makes a huge difference.
Your Turn
Do you respond to “how are you?” with “Busy”?
Is your busy productive or just busy?
How could you take a step today to shift the balance to more productive and less busy?