Busy Working But Not Achieving Much

Are you struggling to keep up with your work? You are busy working but failing to achieve your goals. Plus, you’re always running behind schedule. It’s a struggle to keep going. You’re not alone. In fact, most people feel overwhelmed by their workload. But there’s good news: you don’t have to be stuck in a stressful situation anymore.

Read on to discover how to make your life more productive and less stressful. 🙂

Right now, it might seem impossible to find the time to improve your life. You’re juggling everything that needs to be done, and there is no light at the end of the tunnel, but there are things you can do to improve your productivity, including:

• Set realistic goals
• Prioritize
• Focus on one thing at a time
• Take breaks
• Don’t procrastinate
• Set time aside for mindfulness

Lethargy

Are You In The Right Job?

Seeing your peers complete their tasks and have time to work on their professional development is inspiring but also disheartening. You’re wondering why you’re not as productive as others. You know you’re intelligent enough to do your job well. That your role is not really taxing your gray matter, so what’s holding you back from success?

A common reason for a lack of productivity is that the role is too easy, uninteresting, and boring. Lethargy is common with workers that struggle to find purpose in their work. Did you know researchers have been gauging job satisfaction for years, and the results have always been alarming to employers?

For example A 2018 Gallup Poll reveals two-thirds of employees are neither engaged nor disengaged in their jobs. Gallup State of Workplace 2022 Report suggests only 33% of employees are engaged at work. That leaves two-thirds of employees looking like they are busy working, but really they are ambivalent about their work. If this describes how you feel, maybe it is time to look for another role? Or seek a side hustle that could replace your day job later.

Set Realistic Goals

Do you believe you are busy working hard but failing to achieve your goals? If you set yourself unrealistic goals, you’ll never reach them. Instead, set realistic goals based on what you actually need to accomplish. This will help you stay motivated and focused throughout the day.

When we’re feeling overwhelmed, setting ourselves up for failure is easy. We think, “I’m going to get everything done today,” and then we get nothing done because we’re too stressed out to focus. The best thing to do is to set realistic goals. You should be able to break those goals into smaller tasks, allowing you to complete each one successfully.

Your goals are for you. Set daily goals that you can achieve quickly to gain confidence and a habit. For example, make your bed before you leave for work. This may seem like a ridiculous goal, but when you acknowledge you have achieved a goal and the day is just starting, it motivates to set and achieve more tasks. One of your goals could be how many tasks you set and complete during your work day.

Prioritize

Some distractions at work are hard to ignore, especially if your manager interrupts you. While this may seem odd, you must manage your boss to be more productive. It’s essential to let the people who interrupt you when you’re at peak performance and, if their query is not urgent, contact you via email so you can respond when you’re less busy working.

Create lists

Prioritize your time and tasks to focus on the most important ones first. Start by listing everything you need to do on a piece of paper. Then, sort each task into three categories: urgent, important, and unimportant. Finally, cross off any items that aren’t relevant to your current project.

Focus On One Thing At A Time

Once you’ve completed your list, set aside time daily to complete only those tasks that fall under the “urgent” category. This will help you stay focused and avoid getting sidetracked. If you feel overwhelmed, take a break and return to your list later.

The reality is we all feel overwhelmed when we’re bombarded with stimuli, including having too much work. When faced with too many things to do, we tend to get distracted and lose focus. We might feel like we’re being productive, but if we’re constantly switching from one task to another, we’ll never accomplish anything.

To keep our attention on what’s important, try setting aside specific times each day to work on your most urgent items. For example, if you want to write a book proposal, schedule 30 minutes each morning to work on it. Or, if you want to learn Spanish, block off 15 minutes each evening to practice conversational phrases. By focusing on one thing at a time, you’ll be able to stay organized and achieve your goals.

Taking Breaks

Are you taking breaks during your work day? While you may think you’re busy working, so you’re better off sticking with it without a break, completing tasks will take longer. That’s why taking breaks throughout the day is so important. Taking regular breaks helps you focus on what needs to be done right now instead of being pulled away by other things that seem urgent.

Create a new habit. Set up a schedule on your watch or phone to remind you when it’s time to have a break. The Apple iWatch Activity app is ideal for keeping you focused on taking breaks and being active while you’re doing it. Every break, leave your desk and take a walk either around the office or, ideally, outside in the fresh air. On your return to your desk, you’ll feel refreshed, less stressed, and focused on completing tasks.

Don’t Procrastinate

If you constantly feel stressed out because you’re never able to catch up on everything you need to do, try scheduling additional downtime in your day besides your usual breaks. This will help you stay focused and avoid getting overwhelmed.

When we procrastinate, we tend to put off tasks that require our attention and focus. We often feel guilty if we don’t get things done right away, pushing them off until later. However, doing so causes us to lose track of what needs to be accomplished and makes it harder to complete those tasks.

Putting things off is also probably a sign you’re not confident about completing the work. You can create a mindfulness program just for you to combat this problem.

Set Aside Time For Mindfulness

On top of taking breaks and getting active during the day, schedule some time daily to relax and unwind. You might want to walk around the block, read a book, or listen to music. Whatever works best for you, just make sure you dedicate at least 30 minutes to relaxing each day. Ideally, also start and finish your day working on yourself. As soon as you wake up, spend a few minutes deep breathing and do the same before you sleep.

Final Thoughts

Use these tips to ensure your busy working time is rewarding and you achieve more. Your top priority is working on yourself so you’re less stressed, happy, and content in your role.  If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.