Being busy vs. being effective

Being busy is not the same as being effective

Busy people are always on the go. They have noisy phones, bursting e-mail inboxes, back-to-back meetings, they are always doing something, but it doesn't mean they spend their time productively. It sounds strange, but many of them waste much time. Just imagine the situation when the phone rings while you're answering an e-mail and your colleague is approaching your desk with a question. What should you do first: talk over the phone, keep working on e-mails or speak with your colleague? The right answer to these questions will make you more effective, the wrong answer will make you even busier.

Do the tasks with higher priority

There are always 101 factors affecting decisions about giving this or that task a higher priority. If the tasks are assigned to you, then it is a question to your boss. If it is your tasks then only you know the right answer. When you have a new task on your to do list, the main thing before starting this task is to stop and ask yourself several questions such as "Is this important?", "Is this urgent?" "What deadlines should I meet?", etc. Once you answer them, use priority tools of your time management software to arrange your business time more effectively.

Action plan