Busy Doesn’t Mean Effective

Sometimes, we love to live dangerously, as I have with this blog.? I pray CeCe finds it funny and insightful, and I appreciate her willingness to allow me to share personal blogs about our lives.? ??

We are presently staying in temporary accommodations while having the floors redone at our house. This requires all furniture to be moved to the garage and packing up our personal items, even the closets. (CeCe has clothes in every closet we have except the laundry room.)?

As I share this story, I want first to say, that CeCe has been our champion, she has carried the most significant burden and responsibility for the move.?Without her leadership, this would have been a catastrophe.? ??

However, this move has been more stressful for her as CeCe organizes the most minute details.?She spent hours and probably days organizing her closet as she packed up.?A closet that she had organized already five or six times this year.? We laughed as she looked for something we had packed and moved, “I know I organized it but forgot where I put it.”?

At one point, as she had spent several more hours in the closet when she came out to find a room she had assigned to me finished, I was outside working on my next assignment, covering the plants for a coming winter storm.

CeCe (coming out of her closet): How did you finish that room so fast??

I just focused on getting it moved.? ??

CeCe: I wanted to put labels on everything.?

Baby, it’s our stuff; we know where it goes and in which room.? They are coming tomorrow to move the big furniture, and we must finish moving.

It’s often easier to be busy than it is to be effective. I’m often guilty of this, and in this case, CeCe is, too.?

In fact, busy grabs us and provides us with comfort that we are doing all we can do.? It helps us hide from what we don’t want to do. Effective use of our time requires commitment to prioritize the most important things and find the energy to push out of our comfort zones.?It’s always good to take a moment and reflect.?

Being effective — whether you are moving, planning a family event, or working on a massive work project — requires that we evaluate whether each task is the best way for us to spend our time.?Busy can even steal our most fun times as we miss out on fishing, exercising, golf, tennis, yoga, or maybe reading.? We are more effective when we prioritize these times, too. ?

Too often, we allow busy at work versus effective to rob us of special time with our family and friends.?Let’s make sure we are better than “busy.”?

Is this the best use of my time right now??This question is a great tool to help us #beBetter as we become more effective at work and home. What have you gotten busy with lately that has distracted you from being effective on some of your most important goals? What are you busy with that is creating stress because you are not getting to your priorities fast enough??

The Rest Of The Story

I think the movers are here. Where are you?

CeCe:? Back here in my closet…

Tom Hood, CPA,CGMA,CITP says?“Joey Havens shows the way to build a magnetic firm that attracts, retains, and develops people in a never-ending cause to constantly be better.?We need this book and message more than ever.”

Grab your copy of?Leading with Significance?to find more magnetic insights to help you on your unique journey.?

For more information on my presentations or to access my beBetter blog library go to?joeyhavens.com.