Activity vs. Productivity

updated pic for blog

There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” – Peter Drucker

This quote sums up the thorn in my side as an entrepreneur. I can waste way too much time trying to figure out which activities are most important to focus on each day. Not just this, but I constantly fight the urge to let go of doing that which is easy to check off my list (busy doesn’t equal efficiency) for that which is the most important activity. For the longest time I convinced myself I didn’t know what exactly I was supposed to do. The truth is, I knew exactly what to do, I just gave into the distractions of all the things I could get done. I convinced myself any activity was productivity, but I couldn’t fool myself at the end of the day. I had this nagging feeling I wasn’t living up to my full potential.

So day after day, I battled this habit of checking things off lists to make me feel efficient, and, yes, I did get a lot of minor detail work accomplished. However, deep down, I knew if I did the most important thing in my business, then everything else would fall into place. So I asked myself: if I knew what I was supposed to do, why wasn’t I doing it? The answer for me was because I was afraid of success. What if I was capable of becoming the woman and creating the life I’ve always dreamed of? Then there might be more responsibility and, Lord forbid, more expectation on me to deliver. My whole life I relished in being the underdog in sports. I didn’t want the extra pressure or the expectation of being the best, so I settled into “good enough.” Now, I figured if I did this one thing in my business I would have to go pro and I wasn’t sure I had what it took to make this happen.

I called the voice of reason, Mr. Dad, and he shared this with me, “Bailey, you remind me so much of your mom. She, too, was at a crossroads in her life at your age and had to decide if she was going to break through these mental and emotional barriers to create the type of person and life she wanted or if she was going to stay small and be OK with good enough.” Gratefully, she chose the former. Hearing this story inspired me to believe I would also choose to rise up, be courageous, and step into the woman God created me to be.

My most important activity is helping people, whether it be through speaking, writing, or coaching. I feel called to encourage, challenge, and inspire growth in the lives of others as I continue my own process of growing. Building relationships is where I am called to spend my time. Zig Ziglar said, “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.”

What is the most important activity for your life or your business? What keeps you from doing this activity on a consistent basis? How can you make sure your most important activity is a priority? A great book that really helped me figure out what my most important activity was is called, The One Thing, by Gary Keller. It is a MUST-read!

In full discloser, I wrote this post as a form of accountability for me to practice what I preach. So thank you for inspiring me to have courage to do the most important thing consistently! As always, so grateful you choose to spend your time with me today! Blessings.

PS – One of my greatest passions is to help others transform lessons from life’s challenges into motivation to create a more meaningful and purposeful life. If you know of an opportunity to come share my inspiring message, please email me at [email protected]

PPS – If you haven’t read my late husband, Andrew’s, book, The Ellie Project, it is a true treasure. The character lessons he writes to our daughter, Ellie, apply to us all. Andrew was a true inspiration and I can’t wait to share a part of him with you through The Ellie Project. Get your copy here!