"Keep yourself busy for a better chance of getting things done"
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People with a full schedule gain momentum and bounce back faster from missed deadlines."
If you want something done ask a busy person, goes the adage, but research suggests that this might well be true.
The busier you are, the more likely you are to complete tasks, particularly those whose deadlines have been missed, found Keith Wilcox of Columbia University and his team. Getting behind is demoralising, but Professor Wilcox discovered that busier people are better at bouncing back from a missed deadline and are more likely to get the task done — and more quickly. The theory is that while you may have missed one deadline, with other tasks completed and with others on the go, you feel that you are still winning the productivity war.
“Our research shows that being busy is one way to reduce the sense of failure,” he says.
According to the study, keeping yourself and your staff busy is a simple way to continue getting things done, even when deadlines have been missed. Rather than giving yourself or others more to do, you should instead break down larger tasks into smaller ones. This will make you feel busier without increasing your workload. But make sure you are busy with productive tasks and not simply those that occupy time, says Prof Wilcox. (more)
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When I was a bartender I found the busier I was, the less mistakes I made. When the bar was slow, I was off my game. Subsequent conversations w/ bartenders found that to be a quite common experience.
Nothing makes me feel more satisfied than ending a busy day or busy week, and I definitely notice being less happy when I'm running a leisurely schedule. Despite knowing this, I'm still motivated like most people to try and avoid work, and seek leisure, even though I know it's counter-productive to my happiness. We do a lot of things that we already know are not helping us, and it's almost always short-term beating out long-term thinking, even if the long term is only a few hours away.
These are truths at all levels. At work, at home, with people, with things, with pets. These are universal truths. It's how multi-tasking kicks in automatically.
At work I've found the people who are like this the most can be the most irritating canutes. At every point of interaction they're pains in the butt and people do not like them, they usually win no popularity contest but they care less about that than they care about being ace. Sometimes they're from Sweden. Honestly, Swedes show this work trait. It's a thing. Everything on time. The best way to deal with these executive secretaries is out-pain in the ass them. Nag them on every single point within your interaction. You know they're going to call to ask when so call them first, and call them to the phone with your important information. Bug the living shit of them like a nervous wreck with updates. Interrupt their work with updates even when there's nothing to update. Call them and say nothing to update the process is still processing. Call too many times a day with no update to report. Think to yourself how you can piss them off by completely overdoing their own schtick. Make it a project to out-schtick them. For fun. Punk them for fun by annoying them more than they annoy you. And oddly they will love you and adore you and respect you and consider you ace. It totally works.
lol Chip. I can be a hopeless procrastinator.
Is that why some guys have lots of extracurricular friends?
ndspinelli said...
When I was a bartender I found the busier I was, the less mistakes I made.
The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get.
Your body and mind are designed to do things and then rest, and do things and rest. It's the other time when you are doing neither that is really draining and deadly.
Since being retired, I have to really force myself to get more scheduled and do things. If not, I'll just futz around and do little nothing things and the day is wasted. It is easy to become reclusive and lazy. Too easy.
My schedule used to be jam packed from early morning to evening with hardly any time to relax or do hobbies. Fortunately, I do have to have somewhat of a schedule since I am now my husband's secretary, billing clerk, and answering service. This is a daily routine of banking, post office, computer bookkeeping work. Sandwich in daily chores of running a household....I know. Boring stuff like cleaning and laundry. Then cooking, an activity which I love. Sewing, painting, quilting and gardening....all things I could barely sqeeze in before.
I also keep busy by being a volunteer for a couple of non profit enterprises. I'm a volunteer librarian several times a month at our local non profit library. This FORCES me to get on a schedule that I have to meet. Plus it is fun to get out and meet with a lot of people that I know and meet new people.
Great post DBQ; did I ever tell you you're my hero?
A relative does an after-school craft program, and I've pledged to help her on Mondays. I plan to add one or two more volunteer activities to keep it real :)
Ditto.
When you get fired for missing deadlines, you say why didn't someone tell me, and blame the nag.
DBQ - Your life sounds really good.
Busy fluctuates. I hate house cleaning but I refuse to hire someone to do it. That's just F-ed up. Someday I hope to garden. Hasn't happened yet.
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