This week is the busiest I’ve been since Covid-19 put the world on hold. I’ve been running online workshops in primary schools, digitally jumping from one classroom to another. It requires a lot of energy and a lot of focus and it is tiring. BUT I am the most productive I have been this entire year.
So, I started to ask myself – why is it, that when I am at my busiest, I am also at my most productive?
And this isn’t a one-off occurrence. Consistently, the times when I have the most in my calendar are the times when I am actually more likely to reply to emails, more likely to pick up the phone, more likely to send messages to my family/friends. So, why is this?
Well, I think it mostly comes down to not having the time to think. You’re so busy doing that you just carry on doing. Where at quieter times, you might deliberate over the exact nature of a message or the best way of articulating your thoughts; in busy times, you simply haven’t got the time or energy for this, so you just fire something off and trust that it will be good enough.
That’s the key. I think being busy forces you to adopt the ‘good enough’ mentality. It is a really good counter to perfectionism. Rather than taking ages to get something just right, you rattle something off and say, ‘that’ll do’. This means you get so much more done! (At least, I do anyway!).
And, yes, you need to find time to rest and to switch off. But this is also easier when you’ve been busy because you just have to stop. Your brain and body are genuinely tired, so you tend to sleep better.
We can’t be busy all the time – pandemic or no pandemic – but this week has been a helpful reminder that I am at my best when I am at my busiest.