Busy vs. Productive

In this day in age, everyone is soooooo busy. Busy building a brand. Busy changing lives. Busy on
social media. Busy walking in circles. Busy protesting. Busy rallying. Busy doing nothing. LOL! Yes, sometimes I say I'm busy because I don't want to do anything. A consistently full schedule can be exhausting. Sometimes you do need to schedule in "nothing" also known as down time.

Being a business woman and a hospital laboratory manager, I find it more valuable to be productive than "busy". We only have 24 in a day, so when I work on my business, my "Money Making Time" needs to be spent doing just that, doing activities that will make me money. Or get my mind right so that I can make money. If I find that that is a way to automate a task. I automate. If there is a task that doesn't require my direct input, I delegate. There is a list of things that I have to do every single day and then there are special items on my "to-do" list that I like to take inventory at the end of each day to make sure I got those things done. Boom. Productivity.

As a lab manager, productivity looks a little bit differently. I can pull data to see the "productivity" of my staff. Who did how much of what and how long it took them. Sometimes, I measure my own productivity by how messy my desk is. LOL! I am constantly looking for ways to improve processes so that my staff can use their time efficiently instead of wasting time working on, what I like to call, "foo foo ka ka stuff". It's just not efficient use of resources for me to pay a skilled professionals to perform clerical tasks, like scanning and filing papers, just to say they're "busy". When the auditors come to assess my department, there is no fat to trim. We are all "productive".

Let's get into "busy." I"ll admit it, I, too, have fallen victim to popcorn brain and shiney object syndrome. I'll start doing one thing then get distracted by a text message or an indicator light on my phone. The next thing I know, I've spent an hour on the internet chasing down the real reason Mariah and Quad, from Married to Medicine, had a falling out. Yeah. I was busy. If no one actually saw what was on my phone, they'd probably think I was reading emails or a personal development book. But was I productive? No. LOL!

A goal is nothing but a wish if you don't have a plan of action. Actions without a plan just keep you busy and not productive. It's so easy to get caught up in "activities" for the sake of doing something or being seen or getting the attention of the media. Everyone is busy but are they busy making decisive, calculated moves or are they just running on a treadmill. Moving, just not toward anything. When you are participating in activities, ask yourself "What am I trying to achieve here?" "Is this a good use of my time?" "Is this helping the cause?" "Will this activity actually make a difference?" "Is this going to help me reach my goal?" Or am I just gonna be busy?

In my journey toward the fanciest life possible, I've learned a lot about myself and improved how I operate to increase productivity. Having a Fancy life is possible but if you need help with getting where you want to be, I would LOVE to help you. Fill out the contact information form so we can schedule your consultation on how to move from being busy to being productive.

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Beefing with Beyonce`

I consider myself to be a Bey Stan, but here is my personal beef. I used to be Aaliyah but since she has passed I've become Beyonce`. Anyone who really knows me, knows that I own EVERY tour DVD and CD starting from Destiny's Child first LP released in 1998. I usually make it my business to learn ALL of the choreography so that I can perform at local night clubs, house parties, or just home in the mirror. So you can only imagine how sad it made me when I realized that life decisions requiring adjustments in our household budget meant that I had to forego seeing Beyonce` in the flesh for both "B-Day" and "I am...Sasha Fierce" tours. I have the DVDs but still....

Now that things are coming together, my husband and I are recovering from our financial sacrifices (refer to previous blog entries for details) it was perfect timing for us to purchase VIP treatment tickets for the "IV" tour. This would make up for missing the other tours and be a treat for all of our accomplishments and sacrifices. I had my pennies all rolled and ready to go for "IV". I was a little suspicious when the tour dates weren't released with the album and even more suspicious when she did her intimate shows in NY. Mainly because she usually does those intimate shows as her world tour winds down. Yet, I was still prepared to see my Bey for the "IV" tour, only to have my dreams smashed to smithereens on Sunday when she announced that she was with child. Now I understand that she was ready to start her family, but we, yes WE, had plans.

For me, it feels like finding out your childhood friend is pregnant AFTER you have planned a big, extravagant vacation to Bora Bora followed by a back packing journey across Europe for next year. Which explains the lag time in posting my rant. I had to get myself together. I mean, you can still go on the vacation but it won't be the same without your sister from another mister. I would be excited about my expectant neice or nephew but sad about that fact that the plans we had are now null and void.

Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know what you're thinking, selfish. But it's only human nature to be a little self centered. I'm so happy for her and Jay, I really am, but the timing is all off. Being a planner, I can't see the strategy behind the timing of her pregnancy. Let's break this down.
1. Beyonce` and Jay JUST released the most critically acclaimed albums of their careers.
2. She won't be able to tour.
3. He won't be able to focus on tour because he's gonna want to be with his pregnant wife.
I just don't get it. I pray to Jehovah God that this is a strategic plan to leave us thirsty so that when she comes back post-partum, she will knock our socks off with music even more heart felt than before and performances that cannot be surpassed. I mean, she WILL have at least a year to work on material. Maybe she will even surprise us with some surprise apperances on the "Watch The Throne" tour.
And to think I was cheap when buying our "Watch The Throne" tickets in preparation for Bey. She owes us for this one....big time.