They say that if you want something done, give it to a busy person.
Have you ever noticed that it’s always the busy people in your life who somehow manage to get things done? They’re spearheading projects at work, taking on new responsibilities, all while finding time to meet up with friends and work on their side projects.
What’s their secret?
Maybe we can take a cue from our busy friends. And maybe being busy can actually be a good thing. That’s right. It may seem counterintuitive, but being busy can actually help you manage your time, energy, and work more effectively.
Think about it: When we only have 15 minutes to spare, we’ll dedicate those 15 minutes to working on something important, like a creative project. But when we have 8 hours of free time, we don’t fill those 8 hours with productive work. More free time doesn’t necessarily result in more productivity.
But, when we’re busy, we somehow find a way to make more time for ourselves. We make an effort to set aside 15 or 20 minutes to work on our side hustle. Or we block off an evening to take a class. When we’re short on time, we know better than to waste our precious hours. We take advantage of what we have.
The Perks of Being Busy
You’ll learn how to prioritize. When you’re busy, you can’t say yes to everything. The constraints on your time force you to examine your tasks and obligations and only take on what you can realistically accomplish. This is a great way to filter out the work that is not aligned with your goals and interests, and only focus on the work, people, and events that truly matter to you.
You let go of perfectionism. When we have lots of time to spend on a creative idea or side project, we can dwell on every single little detail. When you aim for perfection, it’s hard to getting around to actually finishing the thing. But, when you’re busy, you don’t have time to fixate on the details and strive for perfection. Busy people know that done is better than perfect.
You have structure. When you’re busy, you have strict boundaries around your time. This helps provide structure for your day, which can then help you schedule your work, tasks, errands, and creative time.
You have deadlines to aim for. Along with structure, busy days give us built-in deadlines. Without deadlines, it’s very easy to sit around and procrastinate. But deadlines give us the urgency and motivation to get up from the couch and actually finish our work.
You have momentum. Completing a to-do list can give you a sense of accomplishment as you finish each and every task on your list. This positive momentum can then feed into your creative or side projects, and give you the boost you need to work on the stuff that’s important to you.
How to Take Advantage of Busy Days To Get More Done
Use your calendar to create a solid structure for your day
If you don’t have a calendar, get one now.
You cannot rely on your memory alone to keep track of important deadlines and dates. You need a physical calendar to help you plan, schedule, and remember details.
With your calendar in hand, start writing down the following:
Medical appointments
Social events, like birthdays, brunches, dinners
Work deadlines
Meetings
Special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays
Use a marker or pen to highlight important dates, like a big presentation, or something of personal importance, like a family get together. These highlighted areas serve as a visual scaffolding for your day.
Cordon off your free time
Now that you’ve updated your calendar, you’ll start to have a better sense of how your month is shaping up. Take a look at your calendar, and look for the spots of free time.
Which days are completely free? Which days have a small block of free time?
Highlight those chunks of free time and then schedule a specific task or activity.
For example, on Monday from 7:30 am - 8: 000 am you’re going to do yoga.
Or maybe on Saturday afternoon you’re going to work on your creative project.
Write these down and make sure to protect your time. These personal activities are non-negotiables. If someone wants your time, then tell them “Sorry, I can’t, I have an appointment.”
Don’t dismiss small chunks of free time
You don’t need stretches of free time to be productive. Busy people know that any amount of time is significant and meaningful.
So don’t dismiss small chunks of time, like the 15-20 minutes before you have to leave for work. Or the one hour in the evening after the kids go off to bed.
Block off small chunks of time in your planner or calendar. Don’t forget to schedule something for this time slot. Even if it’s just for 15 minutes, you can work on your novel. You can brainstorm character names. Or edit one page.
These little beads of time will soon add up to a chain of consistent, and productive work.
Identify your priorities
Earlier, we mentioned that being busy can be good for helping you define your priorities.
So take a moment to jot down your top priorities for the day and week. What are the things that are important to you? What are the things that must get done?
If you’re unsure what your priorities are, it will help to first figure out what your non-priorities are. What are the tasks, errands, assignments that can wait until tomorrow or next week? What can you say “no” to? For example, maybe say “no” to that pick your brain request from a cousin’s neighbor. And instead, prioritize polishing your presentation because all the higher-ups will be there. Or prioritize taking a yoga class because you need to decompress after a tough week.
Defining your priorities will help you manage your schedule better and help you tackle busy days with ease.
Written by JiJi Lee