“I am soooo busy, let me see if I can fit you in my schedule.”

Who do I think I am, Beyonce?

When I first left corporate and started my business, I would actually sit in front of my computer from 9-5 because it is what I had been trained to do for some 30+ years. I did this for at least a year before I realized I didn’t have anyone watching me, except me. Was this what I should have been doing? Should my time have looked differently since I was building a business? 

We believe that if we’re NOT busy then we are lazy, useless, unworthy, *insert self-loathing commentary here*. And if we’re occupied doing something, anything, then we're productive. Come on, you don’t really believe that do you? 

This ultra pseudo-busy is just insecurity about being in charge of your own self. That’s right, I said it. I always say the quiet parts out loud. Drop the facade. Unless you are Taylor Swift running a billion-dollar production, you probably are not that busy, and that’s OK.

I understand that you just might have more things on your plate than hours in the day, but chances are, many of those things shouldn’t be on your plate to begin with. It’s time we examine our pseudo productivity. 

Consider that your full schedule might be full of exactly what you should NOT be doing. Maybe it’s because you are more comfortable doing these tasks. Maybe it’s because you have issues delegating and trusting others to do these things effectively. Maybe it’s because you are missing some boundaries and struggle to say NO. We all know that when we are stressed and stretched to the limit, our effectiveness tanks. That means pseudo-productivity makes you less effective. Ick, no one wants that!

Yes, this IS the “put your oxygen mask on first before assisting others” scenario. If you are busy, be busy doing the right things AND be sure to schedule downtime. If you are pseudo-busy, stop-drop-roll to put out that fake fire! 

All I ask is that you take a good look at your time, your planner, and your calendar and ask yourself, “Should I be doing this? What should I be doing instead and why am I putting it off? Is there someone else I can delegate or outsource some of this to?” 

Perhaps most important, once you get clear on the things you should be spending time on and remove the crap,  be sure to fill your new found free time with some breaks, some lunches, some hobbies, and some good old fashioned “F.I.T.” (f*ck it time). You are the boss of you. If there is an afternoon where you’ve just had enough, close that laptop, go for a walk, read a book, step away. It’s ok, you’re allowed. I said so. 

So let this be your friendly reminder to kick your pseudo productivity to the curb, recalibrate and focus on what really matters, ditch the guilt over breaks and rest, and live your most productive life!