The topic for this week reminds me of 2024. At the end of the year I sat down and recap the progress I've made through the year, only to realize there was nothing tangible to show for it. The year was the busiest year yet the least productive, a clear lesson that progress isn't measured by how busy one is, but by smart work and diligence. There were a few lessons I learned through my experience, I'll be sharing them for the purpose of this week's topic to differentiate the place of busyness and actual productivity.
One thing I noticed about being busy with no result is that one works baselessly hoping to see results. They rely on promises or the beautiful idea of what their busyness may yield. Imagine working as a volunteer in a firm and wanting to please the one in charge. One may work tirelessly hoping to keep a good image yet not recognized by the same body they work for. I know of a man who worked as a volunteer in a hospital for 10 years. He was hoping he'd be considered for employment when recruitment started but for 10 years he waited until it was obvious he was wasting time and being busy for nothing.
Image generated using Gemini AI
Unlike being busy without results, productivity sets the difference. This starts with being deliberate with what we want. Some people expect to see results as they work, they're strict and disciplined with their goals. They equip themselves with knowledge and need resources to help them stand out in society. These people are known to be smart and diligent and do not lower their value to work with hopeless promises. The clear difference between one who is just busy and someone who is making progress with the result is being "deliberate". One is deliberate about the result and the other relies on promises and hope.
