Busy vs productive is what our hectic lives are often about
No doubt that as a student, you’ve always got lots of things on your plate. After all, all those assignments and essay writing won’t complete themselves. However, the sole fact that you have a lot of things to do doesn’t necessarily mean you are productive. So why being busy is different from being productive? And how can you avoid confusing one with the other?
Working out those topics for essay – check. Printing out the materials you need for your assignment – check. Buying everything you need to cook a dinner – check. Finish two paragraphs of your important custom essay writing – check. Sometimes your schedule is so stuffed it seems to be bursting at the seams. You hardly even have time for a small coffee break.
And since there are so many things to do and you manage to complete almost all of your tasks, doesn’t it mean that you are being really productive? It turns out it doesn’t. The feeling of being worn out and a long list of tasks you’ve completed aren’t always the signs of productivity. Your days may be packed with all kinds of chores and errands, but it doesn’t mean they are fruitful.
Let’s see what’s the difference and how to be productive and not just busy.
For starters, let’s build a logical chain: you have lots of tasks – you have to work a lot – you’ve got to be more productive to be able to deal with every task you have. Is that correct? In fact, no, not really. More often than not, attempts to do everything in a limited period of time result in the opposite effect: the tasks you were trying so hard to complete are done improperly. For example, if you are trying to finish your paper in haste, there is n o question of any good writing involved. As a result, your work may be returned to you for correction or you may just get a very low grade.
This doesn’t mean that you just can’t do all of your tasks properly. There is always a way to complete them faster and be more productive at the same time. How can you do that?
- Make a sober estimate of your possibilities.
Don’t do yourself and people around you a disservice. From time to time, you just need to stop and realize: you will not be able to do everything today. Otherwise you’ll just get into the same painfully familiar situation: lots of work, deadlines looming and you are hectically trying to do several things at the same time. You can do a lot of blunders that way! Stop thinking that your schedule is so stretchable anything can fit in; it can’t. And you always need a break.
- Stay focused.
Why would you do lots of things improperly when you can do a few the way they should be done? Cutting your to do list shorter may do you a great deal of good. By the way, it’s not the to do list that’s really important. What’s important is to determine how much time you need for completing each one of your tasks and set specific time limits. Don’t worry this would restrict you. This will only make you understand just how realistic your to do list really is. Besides, such time limits will help you see which tasks are harder and which ones are easier and plan your day schedule accordingly. By making sure you have enough time for everything you’ve planned you also make sure you have enough time to relax and be more productive. When you know you can focus on two-three tasks instead of trying to focus on ten, in the evening you get that precious sense of accomplishment you lacked before. Besides, you’ll have enough time to make sure you do everything properly. Which will definitely keep you from contacting professional writing services (it may cost you quite a bit of money, after all).
- Stay in shape.
It’s extremely hard to sit an exam if you haven’t got any sleep in the last 24 hours. It’s just as hard to start working on your paper if you haven’t had a moment of rest. Only thing you can think about is some good night’s sleep. In other words, exhaustion is one of the main enemies of productivity (and I don’t just mean physical exhaustion). That’s why some time off or even just small breaks when you can relax and distract yourself from thinking about work are very important. Don’t forget to get some proper rest. You don’t want to fall asleep at your exam, do you?
You can be as busy as you like for people you don’t want to talk to, but always be productive for your own sake.