Make Busy Profitable

"Are you busy?" is the question posed at the coffee machine. "Are you kidding? We're swamped" is the answer returned. The answer is the same in personal everyday living. Unless we are six feet under, life always keeps us busy.

The question to continuously answer is "does being busy result in being productive or profitable?" Jose Anes' article "Be Busy - And Tell People About It" points out that being busy for the sake of looking busy, to an employer or client, is not productive. Down time should be used to attack mundane tasks or learn new skills.

Savvy Intrapreneurs are smart at maximizing time to be productive and profitable. Profit doesn't necessarily mean creating extra income, although that is a serious focus for Savvy Intrapreneurs. Personal and family busy responsibilities must be conducted accordingly.

Suggestions to make busy, productive or profitable:

- Unless a call is expected, queue calls to voice mail. Respond at predetermined times throughout the day. If caller ID does not tell you who is calling, let it go to voice mail.

- Create a reverse spam filter so you can respond quickly to emails from people you know. Everyone else is placed in the "waiting room", for later responses during down time.

- Apologize, but continue to work on a task for small talk visitors to your office

- Use an impromptu visit from a coworker, to take a 10 minute break

- Use free nights and weekends cell phone plans for personal calls, unless the call will be productive for a task at hand or profitable. Use this time to also follow up with new contacts, stay in touch with current contacts or conduct your extra income business.

- Use social and family gatherings to hone your networking skills.

- If you're willing to work overtime at work for the same pay, set aside 1 hour of personal time to create extra income.

- Don't watch the news, before going to bed. It negatively impacts sleep time for being refreshed the next day.

- Read 10 minutes day to improve attitude, perspective or skills. Just before going to bed, is the best time.

- Insure there is an agenda for every meeting, even if you don't chair it. Volunteer to create and distribute an agenda. Meetings will be shorter and more productive.

Time is our most valuable commodity. In order for other people to value our time, we must make the most of the value we place on our time.

Ask yourself right now,
"Is this the best use of my time?"

Make today count.

Copyright (c) 2006 Savvy Intrapreneur & C. E. Reid