Recently, I have been extremely busy at work. Many people assume that being busy in work equates to being productive (even after assuming that you are really working), but I find that this could not be further from the truth.
It is when we have time to slack - that we manage to think about things. More important things. And being relaxed and not being too involved in our normal work activities - is when we can think out of the box, think about improving the way existing things are done, taking a step back to look at the big picture instead of being immersed and obsessed with the details, and doing things that are not required in the short run but can provide immense benefits in the long run.
I am a forgetful person, so I have a notepad to jot down my tasklist or anything I find useful. Some of them are more urgent cases, like reviewing a particular client's portfolio, or replying to a client's enquiry. Others are less urgent but could improve efficiency in the medium to long run, like combining several scattered hard copy forms into one single Excel document. Today, when I flipped through the earlier pages of my notepad, unsurprisingly, most of the tasks that have not been completed are those that are less urgent but of no less importance.
So this is why sometimes, we need to set aside time just to slack. It would be good if the time comes naturally, when you have finished your most urgent *but not necessarily most important* tasks. But most of us do not have that luxury. Thus, we need to priortise our time. Setting aside just half an hour a week could already yield significant benefits and boost productivity.
Too busy to do that? Maybe you are not that productive after all.
I am a forgetful person, so I have a notepad to jot down my tasklist or anything I find useful. Some of them are more urgent cases, like reviewing a particular client's portfolio, or replying to a client's enquiry. Others are less urgent but could improve efficiency in the medium to long run, like combining several scattered hard copy forms into one single Excel document. Today, when I flipped through the earlier pages of my notepad, unsurprisingly, most of the tasks that have not been completed are those that are less urgent but of no less importance.
So this is why sometimes, we need to set aside time just to slack. It would be good if the time comes naturally, when you have finished your most urgent *but not necessarily most important* tasks. But most of us do not have that luxury. Thus, we need to priortise our time. Setting aside just half an hour a week could already yield significant benefits and boost productivity.
Too busy to do that? Maybe you are not that productive after all.
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