I'M TOO BUSY RIGHT NOW

I've had this discussion with numerous people lately. You ask them how work is going and they respond "I've been really busy!" We say it like it's a declaration of pride, a tribal ritual of beating on my chest to let everyone know I am not a slacker! I have worked hard (not necessarily smart).

I am purposefully removing this "busy" word from my vocabulary. I assure you, ANYONE CAN BE BUSY!

There is a big difference between being EFFICIENT and being EFFECTIVE. Anyone can "fill" their day with busy work (doing everything right, but working on all the wrong things). Being busy does not equal being productive or effective (doing the right things at the right time, for the right length of time).

I find it interesting when I speak to people about evolving their business, many of them sight better time management as key to getting better results.

If only I had more time to...

We make it sound like time is an external resource and we can't seem to get enough of it. It has been said numerous times, you don't find time, you make time! Well I wonder why that is?

Well it's because time is within us. We are the creators of time! Have you ever stopped and actually tried to manage time? It just keeps ticking on...ya can't manage time. So therefor time management is BULL SH!T. It drives me nuts.

People often ask me how I manage to find the time to get all the things done that I do? Firstly, I don't watch much TV, then I tell them, "You can make as much time as you want for the things that you want if your willing to". When you finally understand and take control of how you make time, you will realise you are the source of time.

Time management should be removed from your vocabulary. Much like the glorification of busy...anyone can be busy and blame external situations for why they aren't getting what they want done. It's all about self-management and personal leadership to effectively create the time you need for the high-pay off activities you determine will fulfill your goals and purpose.

So next time you think you don't have time, embrace that you do, that you are the source and just choose to make time, or choose not to make time...on purpose

If someone tells you they have been busy, don't celebrate their inefficiency...ask them if they have been productive? Do they know if they won or lost or even played the game today?

From now on, do the right things at the right time and for the right length of time and answer with pride "I've had an excessively productive day!"

Dave Clare, CEO & Founder - Circle Leadership

A love letter of purpose, passion and perspective.

“It’s not what you do next, but who you are NOW that counts.”

- A Fergasm

Dearest Purpose,

Firstly, I just want to say thank you.?Thank you for seeing and choosing me to fully express yourself through.

I know that there are 7.9 billion other people in the world that you could have chosen to be delivered through.?In fact, I reckon 7 billion of those people would have done a fantastic or even better job than me at expressing you - and yet, you still patiently wait for me to be ready.

Such is the unconditional nature and unwavering faith you have in me.

Secondly, I want to say I’m sorry.

I’m sorry for not giving you the time, space, love, and respect you deserve.

I’m sorry for not honouring and beholding you in the highest order.

I’m sorry for putting being busy ahead of knowing and receiving you in a way that I could clearly and simply tell people about.

You are so amazing, so incredible, and add so much value to this world - and not being able to express this simply in a way that lands with the people I’ve been sent to serve – who can only hear it through me – is a disservice to humanity.

If positioning myself to know you (my purpose) is the most productive thing I could do today but “I’m busy”:

? When are the passions of the people that will now go unseen, unnoticed and denied as a result less important than my ‘to do’ list?

? Who decided that it was more productive to ‘tick boxes’ for the sake of proving my own self-importance than to be a vessel for wisdom to flow through for the greater evolution of this earth?

AND

? What is the price of the life that may be lost or taken today, as a result of me being busy doing shit that doesn’t matter...

... over and above being COURAGEOUS enough to know, see and receive you??

So that I could have effectively shone my light through your profound lens of understanding and conviction of:

WHY YOU’RE NOT JUST ENOUGH, YOU’RE EVERYTHING!

… into the stormy seas of that life?

What if I was the only one that she ever would have seen, heard, or believed in, and me knowing you, my purpose, was the very thing – the ONLY THING – that could have saved her today?

And now??Because I was “busy being busy”, we’ll never know.

“I'm sorry.?Please forgive me.?Thank you.?I love you.”

- Ho'oponopono Prayer

I promise that from this day forth, while I have air in my lungs and life force running through my veins, I will see you, honour you and show up ON, IN, AND FOR YOU – PURPOSE – every freaking day.

And not just look busy just dancing around you.

Because there is now a homeland sister of mine who will never get to experience the great joy and expansion of her purpose flowing through her.

And so for me not to honour mine while I have life would be for me to die in dishonour when I don’t.

All ways, always,

Lisa

What if, instead egotistically exasperating (either to ourselves or others) ‘how busy and how much I had to do today’...

… we honoured the privilege of life and purpose expressed by reflecting on:

‘Who WAS I today?’

- For Megan

Lisa Ferguson, Leadership Coach at Circle Leadership

| Being busy is fuelled by perfectionism while being productive is fuelled by purpose. |

I worked in the corporate world for 15 years. My experiences with my bosses have been interesting thus far.

My first boss, when I moved into a managerial role for the first time, used to get angry and throw pens across the room; my next boss never gave me a raise despite bringing in triple the income that they were making the year before; my third boss decided that he didn’t like the fact that I told him what I thought—he decided he was going to do everything he could do to get me out of the business; and my last boss before leaving the corporate world for good had decided that I didn’t “fit into the culture” because when I decided that I was overwhelmed and needed help, he told me to pull my socks up—essentially without following any kind of procedure, they took me into a room and let me go because I told them that when a team player is down, you should probably find out what is going on.

On the other side of the coin, I've had really good bosses who cared about their employees, helped them grow, and were emotionally intelligent enough to understand that stress is often caused by an unbalanced workload or unclear expectations. When there was a good structure for what I needed to do and I knew exactly what was expected of me, then I performed well.

Unfortunately, in my experience, this has been a rare exception.

I am not sharing this because I wish to criticize my old employers. I have moved past that part of my life, and it has led me here with a passion for creating teams that work and good leadership. I am sharing this because it’s important for the elephant in the room to be addressed.

When I was first hired as a marketing manager, my employers expected me to use a specific formula to grow the business and take care of everyone's needs. They even insisted on doing things their way and didn’t want to listen to my ideas. As a result, I missed deadlines and did not get the results they expected.

Now, as a result of working for myself and having the freedom to test and try what works and what doesn't allowed me to see the value of giving people the freedom to do their jobs. Now, I get to do work for Circle Leadership without questioning myself and making double the money with less stress.

In a recent article, the Digital Marketing Institute states that “Being busy is fuelled by perfectionism while being productive is fuelled by purpose. Being busy is about working harder while being productive is about working smarter. Being busy is about being good at everything while being productive is about being great at a few important things.”

So this is the foundation of what controlling your people looks like and how it can actually hinder the growth of your business.

The most productive times in my life have been when I've had a structure to move between, the ability to decide what issues will make the most movement in the businesses I serve, and the allowance for creativity without restrictions. The best bosses I've ever had have given me a structure and let me run with it. It's these times that I made exceptional differences, such as raising $50,000 for Telethon, getting GWN7 stars to our centre and landing my events on the news. I also tripled the cash flow and leads coming in for the businesses I worked for.

The next time you think you know best in a specific area, don’t block others from making progress because of your preconceived notions of how things should be done. Even though it seems counterintuitive, releasing control could be the very thing that allows your business to thrive.

Tiana Pomaybo, Chief Brand Alchemist at Circle Leadership

LIVESTREAM

Being busy and not getting much done is a recipe for disaster in the business world. Keeping things moving forward and on schedule is crucial to success. So why does it happen? It happens when business leaders and their teams focus on quantity over quality and end up getting burnt out. They're so busy working, they don't have time to think or make decisions. They’re only focusing on tasks. This doesn't just affect profits—it affects clients and customers, too. Instead of getting more resources, burnout can be avoided by doing the right thing, at the right time, for the right length of time to get better results.

Today, we’re covering:

1. Difference between productive and busy
2. What productivity really is
3. And the best model for getting you and your teams productive instead of busy in work and life.

P.S. there may be some bonuses if you watch the whole thing.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

WEEKLY CLARISM

Here's one from the archives...

THE INNER-CIRCLE

Ideally, this #newsletter is for you. Yeah, we might share the odd humble brag, but its intent is to add value and inspire more purpose-driven leadership worldwide. If you have a question on a relevant leadership, culture, or strategy topic, please ask and we will provide our insights.