When someone catches you on the phone, or while running an errand, do you sound and look busy and harried or calmly productive? This is a huge topic, but I'd like to look at a framework for how we can approach this issue now and in the coming weeks. To transition from being BUSY to being PRODUCTIVE, let's:

1. Set (y)our egos aside.

Does anyone still remember high school English and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, particularly the tale of the lawyer? I'm always chastened by the passage “No man was as busy as [the Lawyer], and yet he seemed busier than he was.” The man of law is a busy man, but he takes pains to appear even busier than he actually is.

Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in how society gives credit to the visibly busy (vs. the quietly productive) that we get sucked into the notion that our status or worth is dependent on how much activity is going on. I was extremely guilty of this when I was a TV executive – we'd all discuss how we were far too busy to meet for lunch or take vacations. It was a badge of honor that we were so busy. It never occurred to one of us that from a different perspective, it might seem we couldn't be very good if we couldn't successfully accomplish things while having a little life balance…or even a life.

2. Know your goals.

I could alphabetize a client's 10,000 CDs, but if she hired me to streamline her office workflow, I wouldn't be satisfying her goals. We need to be aware of precisely what we want to accomplish.

Over the years, we’ve been told to set SMART goals, where the acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-sensitive. It’s time to take the next step.

I'd like to suggest we make it SMARTY, with the Y standing for YOURS. It does us no good if our resolutions or goals solely reflect our loved ones' desires or the latest marketing buzzwords. Set goals which reflect your own aspirations!

What are your priorities? Is it necessary to become famous to be profitable? Will posting 50 replies a week on a networking site (and the time it takes to read so you can wisely post) get you where you want to be?

3. Know what tasks you have to perform to reach your goals.

So many people have To Do lists that show projects rather than tasks. "Write e-book" is a project representing a multitude of tasks, and every time our daily or weekly To Do's include projects instead of tasks, it means that we will consistently be reminded to think OF a project instead of thinking ABOUT it.

A project is the end-result -- the pretty magazine picture of what the food will look like when served. The task list is the recipe. Breaking down the project into tasks keeps us from merely dreaming or piddling with "busyness".

A calendar or planner tells you where you have to be, doing what, with whom. A tickler file helps you find a place for the paper that represent those tasks, so you can have the tasks awaiting you, as if the tickler file were Jeeves presenting your next caller. Software or websites like Remember the Milk can provide the same prompting via high-tech.

With each project, plan strategically to see what tasks the whole project entails ("Measure twice, cut once!"). Schedule your To Do items with a reasonable awareness of your resources: time, money and energy.

4. Organize your tangible resources.

Whether it's having a clutter-free desk and work area as I discussed in my very first post here at TBC, or having a file system that works without you having to think about it, organizing your tangible resources frees up your time so you don't have to search for lost items, redo work or puzzle over where things stand.

5. Eliminate interruptions.

We've talked before about what's urgent vs. what's important, and how they often aren't both. Be willing to schedule specific times (in the day…heck, even within the hour) for returning voicemail and email messages so that you can increase your focus. Turn off the ringer on the phone and the audible "new email" alert.

For in-person interruptions, have a plan in place before you're caught. We'll talk in future weeks about how to set -- and maintain -- boundaries. For now, recognize that most people don't need an immediate solution, but they do need to feel heard and appreciated. We'll soon brainstorm ways to handle interruptions that maintains your productivity but keeps the interrupters from feeling disrespected.

6. Learn to delegate.

Sometimes, we have to give up the stranglehold of control to gain productivity. If that means letting someone else do the first-round proofreading or setting the Thanksgiving table, so be it. Asking loved ones and partners for support, and judiciously hiring the right professionals (a shout out to our VA community!), lets you focus on what you're uniquely qualified to do.

7. Banish "Busywork".

As I mentioned, you have limited resources: time, money and energy. If we squander little bits of money on coffees and pastries, knickknacks and trifles that we didn't even want but which satisfied a momentary craving, in the long run we'll have less money to invest in our businesses and our futures.

Similarly, busy-work and aimless squandering of our time on tasks serves our instincts to procrastinate and avoid more important, goal-serving activities.

Sometimes, we squander time with busy work that serves a purpose, but could be efficiently eliminated. Those of you following another post on this network may know that until today, I was manually adding HTML code to my signature file at Ryze. I have to add my file manually, but until recently, I never realized how much time I was wasting adding in the line breaks and hotlinks. Doh! Since I was already copying the signature block from elsewhere, why not create the HTML-encoded signature block once and copy THAT from now on?

What little repetitive tasks are filling up your time, keeping you busy, but not contributing to your productivity?

8. Catch yourself in the act.

Set an alarm on your cell phone or a reminder pop-up on your computer for periodic times during the business day to catch yourself. Timothy Ferris suggests having your system ask you "Am I being productive or just active?". His client modified it to "Am I inventing things to do to avoid the important?" My own reminder asks: Hey, is it time to MOVE ON?

9. Review and recap.

Take time EVERY DAY to look back and see how well you successfully kept yourself moving forward to achieve your goals. Use the challenges as learning experiences to help you decide how you'll do things differently tomorrow.

Let's get productive!

--
Julie Bestry, Certified Professional Organizer®
Best Results Organizing
"Don't apologize. Organize!"
organize@juliebestry.com
Visit http://www.juliebestry.com to save time and money, reduce stress and increase your productivity

Private Reply to Julie Bestry (new win)