Thursday Thought: Is Your Busywork Really Worth Completing?

Busywork is one of the biggest obstacles to being productive. Smaller, less important tasks fill your day until hours have passed and you haven't actually completed any meaningful work. One question to ask yourself about each of these tasks is, would anyone notice if you didn't complete it?

If the answer is yes, consider delegating the task or automating the process. If the answer is no, then ask yourself a few more questions to evaluate if the task really needs completing at all.

Why are you doing the task? What importance does it hold? How does it impact the bigger picture? If the answers to these questions don't add up, consider removing the task from your to-do list altogether.

For example, does anyone actually read that weekly report you produce? Can any of the emails you send be automated through a service like MailChimp? When was the last time your team opened up your meeting summaries?

There's no point in spending your time on tasks that end up just being wasted time and effort. If you can get rid of this busywork from your calendar, you can concentrate your time on completing work that really matters.