So, I came across this title on an associate’s profile this morning and naturally I was intrigued- Are you productive or just busy? Most of our lives are filled with one activity after another but are we really being productive or are we just busy?
As I pondered on the question, it brought me to the subject of personal effectiveness. This is a subject I hold dearly because I have personally been accused of being OCD about scheduling my time. I will be the first to admit that to some extent I am. But most of my scheduling is driven by my desire to always be productive… to be efficient…to be EFFECTIVE. So what exactly does personal effectiveness really mean?
Do you dare to change?
Hi. I am Shaka, and I am a Life Coach.
So I started scheduling my time some years ago and over time the schedule started including everything I do (such as naps, walks, R&R, you name it). I started filling pockets of idle time with activities in order to make sure I was constantly engaged. Was this bringing about any value? Somewhat, yes. But it was not entirely as ‘productive’ as I thought or wanted it to be. So I started focusing not only on what I do, but the value to which I bring to each task, or each moment. This then took an interesting turn because it exposed all that I was actively and consistently engaged in that was not bringing any kind of value into my life (not the kind of value that I desired anyway). This meant that I was challenged to retrospect, review and completely analyse the basis of how I lived my life. And honestly, it was not satisfactory even to me. So I embarked in an exercise (or most precisely, journey) to unearth and uncover all that was meaningless (in value terms) in my life and focus on what was fruitful.
Here is the catch though.
By the mere act of making the decision to better myself, I was slowly but surely brought to painfully letting go of a lot of things, people, activities and interests (you name it) that did not serve my idea of productivity or value, and most of those had formed an extension of who I was. I must admit that it was a painful exercise (as painful as cutting out bits of yourself would be), but very rewarding at the end of it. This is because I then started to fill pockets of idle time with activities that not only satisfied my vision for my life, but in the process I leant new skills, picked up new hobbies, met some interesting people and best of all dropped some pretty unnecessary (to say the least) habits. So what am I really saying here?
Consider this.
Personal effectiveness is doing the right things at the right time to ensure that you get the desired result at any given moment.
So what does this imply? There are 3 key elements of personal effectiveness:
1. Value- personal effectiveness calls you to add and bring value into every task or activity in which you partake. Some people often speak of being present in every moment. This is equally true- but for each moment value needs to be evident as a result of your presence. And how do we determine this value? Through vision.
2. Vision- The value you derive from any given moment is only valuable to you if it speaks to your vision for your life. This means that in order to be effective, there must be a clear, well-defined and comprehensive outcome that you have identified for your life, that which you work towards. This will ascertain that you select only the tasks/activities/engagements that add to your big picture. At the end of the day, it is not how long, but how well you have lived. The quality of your life counts far better than the length of it.
3. Vigour- this implies the extent to which you focus on a task to ensure its successful completion. This means your ability to bring your A-game into any task/activity/engagement that requires your attention. Whether it is through being well prepared, dressed appropriately for the task at hand, having researched on the subject or just simply showing up on time and rearing to go!
Final Note
Whether at home or at work, I believe we are tasked as human beings to continuously be effective. This is because our time on earth is not only limited, but none of us know when their clock will stop ticking. This must not cause anxiety, but the certainty in death is a beauty that we must embrace, a beauty that allows us to live each moment with value, vision and vigour and thus ensuring that every moment of our lives bears fruit. And if the moment requires rest, then the focus should be on the value that rest brings. There must be sincere respect for the seasons of life.
In business or corporate terms this is called efficiency or productivity or taking an initiative to ensure that your work brings the desired value for the business. This effectiveness/efficiency/productivity is measured through weekly/monthly performance checks and monitored through performance reviews aligned to set performance targets. This ensures that not only are employees physically present in the business but that their value is received on a daily basis. Some entities or professions actually employ deliverable-based production that ties their employees not to the time they spend in the workplace but on the deliverables (or actual production) that they bring forth. This is then used to reward performance accordingly.
Now here is a thought to process.
If this is true for business and corporates, and has worked tremendously for decades to facilitate results in terms of performance and productivity, and also fuels the vision and strategy of the company, how true would it be for your own personal life? How far along would you be if your primary focus was on value, vision and vigour? How fruitful would your life be if it was targeted, planned and as effective as your work and/or career?
It is for any of us to say how well this can work for us as individuals. However it is important to note that as with any task worth exploring or any skill worth learning, there are ultimately two factors that guarantee its success- consistency and time. Thus it is imperative to assume a new way of being over a continuous period of time in order to get true and lasting results.
But the first step is always to change your direction.
Let us help you ask the right questions to define your vision, ascertain value and take action towards a fruitful future.
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DARE TO CHANGE YOUR INNER GAME!
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