Good evening Ladies and Gents,
I’m back at Coffea today, with a Madonna Flat White next to me, my iPad in front of me and my thoughts bouncing around in my head.
Today’s posts is later than usual because my morning was a little difficult, had the worst morning to date for the year; pain, disorientation, stiffness, the works. My Fibro was not kind to me this morning, still feeling the effects now, especially Head wise, my head’s feeling foggy and really heavy, but that wasn’t going to stop me from posting today, though if my pain, muscle ache and stiffness didn’t get better i would have stayed at home and taken the ‘Day Off‘.
Anyway, on to today’s post.
“Being Busy Being Busy” Robin Sharma
“In the corporate world, I had been so busy being busy, I never had time to think about life. And yet reflection and contemplation are among the most important of all business skills. I’ve since realised that in this informations-led world we live in, ideas are the commodity of success and the most effective people are the most effective thinkers”
– Leadership Wisdom from the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari – The 8 Rituals of the Best Leaders by Robin Sharma –
As i mentioned earlier this week, or the end of last, i started reading again, and this quote popped right out at me, it describes quite accurately how i feel about this subject.
Generally, we are just too busy nowadays. Running around doing all sorts of things. And a lot just for the sake of doing something to help us feel like we’re not wasting our time.
At one point last year i used to think that being busy meant that i was being productive. I used to plan out my days so that they were filled with ‘things to do’ and once the day was done i wouldn’t feel like the day was wasted.
Then one day, i read something by Robin Sharma, not the quote above, in which he mentioned Being Busy Being Busy which shattered the illusion in which i was living in.
I thought back to some of those “productive” days that i had and really thought about them.
1. What did i achieve that day?
2. What did i really do?
3. Did i really do anything productive or really get anything done?
4. Did i stretched a task just so that I would use up more time?
5. How much of that time did i spend hanging out?
I realised coming home tired some how signalled to me that i had a busy day, which then signalled that it was a productive day, but now it’s a little different.
I realised that much of the time I was also busy being Distracted. Focus and a sense of direction was lacking.
Now before i go on, let me elaborate a little about my view on Productivity. Productivity isn’t the same thing for everyone, it’s all down to our own Personal Productivity.
Here’s an excerpt from me previous piece.
Being Busy is not necessarily Being Productive.
A good way to feel like the day hasn’t been wasted it to set daily goals. These goals are much better gauges of how productive a day has been. It’s not about how much time you spend doing it but about getting the result that’s in Alignment with the your Grand Scheme of Things (unless of course you’re goal is a specific time related goal – read 1 hour).
I’ve been incorporating this into my life nowadays, (though not all because i do have my Days Off and then there are days that the Fibromyalgia messes up my morning which makes my day a little more difficult – like today) and find that i feel way more satisfied with myself after a day of completed daily goals or even 80% completed daily goals because it’s all so much clearer to me.
I find that when i follow these things, i’m more satisfied with my days and weeks because i’m not just trying to fill up time. I guess you could relate it to Working Smart. I find that i don’t feel guilty about watching more TV or hanging out, if i find myself regularly completing my daily goals.
This concept of using daily goals also ties in to the concept of building momentum through Small Daily Improvements and Making Today Better Than Yesterday.
The best way to get started is to take sometime to think about how the last day and then the last week has been. Did it feel productive? Was the busyness of it all proportional to what was achieved? Do you feel satisfied?
Then get to making daily goals first thing in the morning, or better yet the night before before going to bed.
Now daily goals are just the beginning, in order to ensure that your more productive days are tying in to the Grand Scheme of Things. Scale things up by having:
1. Weekly Goals
2. Monthly Goals
3. Quarterly Goals
4. Annual Goals
5. 5 Year Goals
6. So on. (10 year, 15 year….)
This is a system that builds on each other, so we need to make sure the foundation and ground work is strong, you need to take the time to think.
The shorter term goals feed into the longer term goals and ensure that you are in line with your dreams. Keep in mind Personal Productivity.
So with something as simple as daily goals, what we are doing is breaking down the steps to achieve the Bigger Goals that will lead to our dreams.
I cannot emphasise how important it is to attain Clarity which requires us to take the time to think, to reflect.
Have great dreams but have simple, one-step-at-a-time goals to help you reach your dreams. Dreams are what you want, goals define and break down the steps to help you get there.
Sidenote: Before i sign off, i’d like to apologise if the writing seems messy and not as organised as the weeks before, Fibro made my mind feel messy & cluttered this week, especially today. I will work on making sure that next Friday’s post is more organised and clear.
Please do let me know what you think.
Straight From The Heart
Roshan ‘Arkay’ Kanesan
Related articles
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- Distraction @coffeacoffeemy (arkay6.com)
- Notes on Q1 & Q2, Goals & Guidelines (arkay6.com)
- Wise Words – Robin Sharma (arkaysthoughts.com)
I feel it’s always very important to spend a certain part of your as your “me-time”. Watch a movie, relax, talk to friends, exercise etc. Too many hours can be spent in the office if you let work control you instead of the other way round.
Spending some time at the end of each day to reflect back on the hours before is extremely important. This is best achieved in a conducive environment that encourages your mind to explore and think beyond it’s regular boundaries, and with tools that encourage this type of thinking in hand.
I myself feel that a nice cold pint of beer in a good pub is the best place to achieve this! 😀
Nicely put ElKavalio. In all the busyness of life, we need to reflect.
Thanks for your thought.
im guilty of this sometimes. spending the whole day out of the house without actually achieving anything. having said that, it is more enjoyable to achieve nothing with company than it is to achieve nothing alone at home. but spending time with people does achieve something; bond strengthening, intellectual discussion (ok maybe 90% about girls and cars but still), and, um, vitamin D from the sun.
Hahaha. True. It’s again what’s important to you. Your own personal productivity.
I can so identify with this when I was working – being so so busy attending long unproductive meetings.
I go to work everyday, come home feeling tired but with a satisfaction feeling for finishing all the work on my table, back home tired, eat, watch tv and sleep, next morning start same routine again. Is that productive?
That’s not for me to say. Productivity is personal to each and everyone of us. It’s based on our goals & dreams. If you feel that you’re doing enough to get where you want to go, then that’s great. 🙂