To become productive, don’t try to do as much as possible; focus on doing the things that are important to you, the ones that will make a difference in your life and in the lives of others.
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” ~ Peter Drucker
Productive? or Just Busy?
This is a story of two retirees, Tom and Linda. They have been retired for a few years, and both have found ways to use their days.
Tom’s days are full of activity. He checks his email several times during the day. He runs errands. He stays up-to-date on the latest news stories. He attends meetings. He does chores around the house.
And at the end of most days, Tom is exhausted.
Meanwhile, Linda spends an hour or two mentoring younger people, does a daily workout, and volunteers at her church’s food pantry. She finds ways to give of her time and her skills, making our world a better place.
Tom finished a lot of tasks. Linda finished the day knowing it mattered, because she invested her time in things that are important to her, things that matter. Tom’s calendar is full. Linda’s life is full.
The Busy Trap
As I began researching this article, I searched for the keyword “become productive”. I received a list of articles such as “8 strategies to increase productivity”, “9 ways to become the most productive”, “13 tips to be more productive”, or “14 habits to help you be more productive”.
As I read through the list, this thought became apparent to me: To become productive, don’t try to do as much as possible; focus on doing the things that are important to you, the ones that will make a difference in your life and in the lives of others.
Now, I admit that getting a lot of tasks checked off the list and staying busy throughout the day can feel productive. But there is a difference between being busy and being effective.
Many of us spend our lives trying to squeeze more into every day. We optimize calendars, create elaborate to-do lists, search for productivity hacks (e.g., 13 tips to be more productive), and we multitask.
Then at the end of the week, we find ourselves asking: “Why am I so busy but not making progress on what matters?”
You know why? Because productivity doesn’t come from volume. It’s about significance. A person who completes twenty unimportant tasks is busy.
The person who completes one important task is productive.
The Productivity Guiding Question
Whenever you’re deciding how to spend your time, ask yourself one simple question: What meaningful action deserves my best energy today?
Notice what this question doesn’t ask. It doesn’t ask what is easiest. Or fastest. Or most urgent.
It asks what is most deserving of the limited time, attention, and energy you have to invest today. That single question has the power to redirect an entire day.
The Difference Between Activity and Productivity
Recall that Excelerated Productivity™ includes improving efficiency and effectiveness. We recognize that doing tasks efficiently is important. But that isn’t the full story. Productivity creates meaningful results. It helps us be more effective, not simply efficient.
Excelerated Productivity™ is the practice of consistently investing your time, energy, and attention in activities that create meaningful results.
Notice what’s missing:
Doing everything.
Maximizing output.
Staying busy.
Instead, the focus is on meaningful results.
Improving Efficiency and Effectiveness
True productivity is doing more of the essential (for you) tasks; the work that helps you embrace your Excelerated Life™! Here are a couple of strategies to help you improve efficiency and effectiveness.
Three Questions
Before you begin a new activity, stop for a moment and consider these three questions:
- Does this matter?
If your answer is yes, then continue with the second question.
If your answer is no, is this really something you need to be doing? - Will this move what matters most forward?
If your answer is yes, continue with the third question.
If your answer is no, what are your reasons for doing this right now? - Is this the best use of my time right now?
If your answer is yes, full speed ahead!
If your answer is no, what is a task of more value? Could you do that now instead?
Focus on the Vital Few
“The majority of your results don’t come from the majority of your efforts.”
That simple idea lies at the heart of the 80/20 Principle, sometimes called the Pareto Principle. In many situations, roughly 80% of the results come from 20% of the causes. It isn’t always an exact 80/20 split; it might be 70/30 or 90/10, but the lesson is remarkably consistent: a few activities produce the majority of meaningful outcomes.
Sometimes, however, we live as though every task deserves equal attention. We answer every email, attend every meeting, organize every drawer, and check every notification, believing that staying busy is the same as being productive. It isn’t. Productivity comes from identifying the vital few activities that move our most important goals forward and intentionally investing our time and energy there.
Think about your own life. What are the two or three activities that contribute most to your health, your relationships, your work, or your sense of purpose? Maybe it’s a daily walk, an hour spent writing, a conversation with your spouse, or mentoring someone at work. Those are your vital few.
The challenge isn’t finding more hours in the day. It’s having the courage to spend more of the hours you already have on what matters most.
Productivity and Contribution
Excelerated Productivity™ isn’t defined solely by efficiency and effectiveness. Those are simply the tools. The real definition is this: Excelerated Productivity™ is the practice of investing your time, energy, and attention in meaningful action that creates value for yourself and others. You see, the most productive people often improve life for others.
It moves forward like this. Efficiency asks: How can I do this faster? Effectiveness asks: Am I doing the right thing? Meaning asks: Why is this worth doing? And Contribution asks: Who benefits from this?
In this framework, productivity means focusing on the meaningful tasks that move us forward toward our goals, while making our world a better place.
Productivity and Meaning
Meaningful work energizes us. Meaningless work drains us. Once upon a time, the dominant question in personal development was: “How can I become successful?”
Over the years, especially after the advent of Positive Psychology, it shifted to: “How can I become happy?”
But to embrace our Excelerated Life™, we ask a different question: “How can I spend my life well?”
Efficiency serves effectiveness. Effectiveness serves contribution. Contribution creates meaning. And meaning is what transforms a productive life into an Excelerated Life™.
Productivity in an Excelerated Life™
An Excelerated Life™ isn’t built by giving equal attention to everything. It’s built by giving extraordinary attention to the few things that matter most. It’s not the pursuit of maximum output. It’s the practice of investing your limited time, energy, and attention in work that creates meaning, contribution, and lasting impact.
The goal isn’t optimization. The goal is alignment. Align your values with your actions. Align your strengths with your contribution. Align your attention with what matters. Align your habits with the person you’re becoming. When those things line up, productivity ceases to be frantic activity and becomes the quiet practice of living intentionally.
Productivity isn’t achieved by filling your calendar. It comes through filling your life. Not every task deserves your best energy. But something does.
Tomorrow morning, before opening your email, checking your phone, or writing your to-do list, pause for just a moment and ask: “What meaningful action deserves my best energy today?” Then begin there. That one habit may do more to increase your productivity than a hundred productivity hacks.
And that’s another step on the path to embracing your Excelerated Life™!
What meaningful action deserves your best energy today?
How will you make that a priority?
Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
Excelerated Productivity™ is the practice of using your time, energy, and attention wisely to accomplish what matters most, producing meaningful results while avoiding the trap of mere busyness. It is one practice for creating your Excelerated Life™, a life of flourishing and well-being, and a life of meaning, purpose, and service.
Read more about the Excelerated Life™.
Resources:
Koch, Richard. The 80/20 Principle: The Secret Of Achieving More With Less. New York: The Doubleday Publishing Group, 1998, 2008.
This blog post includes research information and suggestions provided by ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI. The content was generated with AI assistance and is intended to provide information and guidance. Please note that the suggestions are not official statements from OpenAI. To learn more about ChatGPT and its capabilities, you can visit the OpenAI website.
(Please NOTE: The material in this document is intended for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice in medical, psychological, legal, or financial matters. The purpose of this article is to educate and inspire. Following the techniques, suggestions, or strategies presented does not guarantee success.)