The Four Myths You Must Know About Productivity

Ramping up your productivity for the New Year is a great way to get things moving for your business and for your life. Becoming productive in your business can lead to great opportunities and success. If productivity is something you want more of for this New Year, then you are off to a great start. Starting your day with purpose, focus, and determination can create endless opportunities. However, productivity is more than wanting to move faster, achieving more and “time is money” Before you commit your time and efforts in things you may believe will make you more productive, let me share some misconceptions about productivity and time management.

Activity is not productivity. Let’s say you have to carry a few light boxes up two flights of stairs, one by one and you repeat this activity until all the boxes are delivered. You were certainly in activity, but not being productive. There were countless ways that scenario wouldn’t been productive such as taking the elevator with all boxes, or asking a friend to help. In any event, understand that just because you are in movement and achieving a result, does not mean you are being productive.

Time is Money. Time is valuable and therefore the saying time is money makes sense. However, money is cyclical, which means it comes and goes and that cycle repeats itself many times. Time, however is something you cannot get more of, a one-way street if you will. Once you spend the time given to you, it doesn’t return. Therefore, treat time as a special commodity, not as money.

Work harder to achieve more. Many believe that when you work hard, the payout is bigger. Working hard simply means adding responsibilities and actions that force you to work longer hours and invest your time in activities that are straining. Working hard does not guarantee any results other than feeling exhausted, tired, and overwhelmed. Rather than spending your precious resources on working harder and becoming tired, shift your thinking to working smarter. Find ways to reuse, shorten, merge your resources (time) so you achieve more but work less.

Busy does not equal productive. Feeling busy or “being” busy is usually the consequence of lack of focus. If you are not clear on what your mission is, what tasks you need to be working on, what path you need to be on, feeling busy is sure to dominate. Busy does not promote productivity. When you have a full schedule and practice productive practices, you are focused and on a mission, instead of busy. If the people around you tend to use the word busy to describe their everyday activities, start spreading the word “focused” instead when someone asks you how you are doing. By abandoning the word busy, you can help those around you.

Understanding what productivity is not it is as important as understanding productivity itself. Before you invest any time in identifying what you need to change in order to become productive, make sure your efforts are not geared towards any of the myths above. Identify the areas that resonate in your current situation and create small shifts into real productivity.