Productive vs. busy

Productive - having the quality or power of producing; especially in abundance

In work terms this means understanding what’s most important, being able to plan ahead, hitting targets and deadlines, celebrating success, investing in team-building, making time for self-care and creativity, being able to switch off at evenings and weekends.

Busy - Engaged in activity, as work; occupied

In work terms this mostly means working hard on unclear priorities, spending time in meetings in which you don’t contribute, endlessly messaging or waiting for replies, doing work outside of your remit, no time to think or plan, not being able to switch off at evenings or weekends.

Which one are you?