Busyness and Effectiveness

I've been helping someone recently go from being busy, to being effective. When we first started they had trouble seeing them as two very different and opposite things. Being busy in no way implies you're being effective. Busy means "crowded with or characterized by activity", while being effective is "producing the intended or expected result. One thing we must realize is that people can be very busy, yet not accomplish anything. This would indicate they're being ineffective. But there are some people who are extremely effective and yet wouldn't describe themselves as busy. I think effectiveness is one of the things we should always be aiming for in life. Whether it's in government, parenting, work, sports or anything else. Being extremely busy without being very effective can be wearying on a person. If effectiveness is something you're wanting to grow in, find someone who can help you. There's also many great resources available on becoming more effective. Two of my favorite resources are Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" and Gordon McDonald's "Ordering Your Private World". Whether you're a CEO, a single mom, a young person, or anywhere in-between, you have too much on your plate to be busy and not effective. Today take steps to become effective, and free yourself from busyness.