Jackie Zach
July 29, 2024
Today’s Tough Love for Business podcast focuses on the concept of busyness and its impact on productivity. Mike and Jackie explore how being busy can seem productive but often leads to counterproductive results if not managed properly. They highlight common pitfalls, such as the belief that handling tasks oneself is more efficient than training others, and emphasize that true productivity comes from focusing on impactful activities rather than just staying busy.
The conversation underscores the importance of strategic thinking over mere task completion. By prioritizing thoughtful work and delegating effectively, business owners can drive growth and profitability. The episode challenges listeners to reassess their approach to busyness and consider whether their efforts are genuinely contributing to their business’s success.
Are you busy and want to be more effective? Take advantage of a complimentary business strategy session to discover the opportunities in your business! https://actioncoachwi.com/podcast-ask-a-question-complimentary-session/
Podcast Transcript
Mike McKay: Welcome to the Tough Love for Business podcast. Today we’re discussing busyness. I’m Mike McKay, here with my co-host, Jackie Zach. Jackie, what’s up?
Jackie Zach: What’s up? I’m busy today.
Mike: Why do you choose busy?
Jackie: I choose busy because, like we discussed, it’s like a warm blanket. Being busy makes me feel productive.
Mike: But are you?
Jackie: Not always. It depends on what you’re busy doing.
Mike: Exactly. Today’s takeaway is that being busy is a choice. The world isn’t happening to you; it’s happening for you. Your schedule isn’t happening to you; you’re allowing it to happen. If you’re busy with daily tasks, you’re likely choosing not to delegate and instead, trying to solve everyone’s problems yourself.
Jackie: Being busy with the wrong things can be counterproductive. Choose the right things to be busy with, not the least effective ones that are just familiar and comfortable.
Mike: What are some common pitfalls of being busy? One is thinking, “It’s easier to do it myself.”
Jackie: Yes, it takes too long to train someone else.
Mike: Let’s say it takes you 10 minutes to do something and 30 minutes to train someone. By the third time you’ve done it yourself, you’ve already used 30 minutes. After 50 times, that’s 500 minutes instead of the 30 it would have taken to train someone. Is that a good choice? No, obviously not.
Jackie: Also, if you’re doing something that isn’t helping your business make money, why keep doing it?
Mike: Why do people make that choice?
Jackie: Because they believe no one can do it as well as they can.
Mike: Why do people think that?
Jackie: It’s a belief system. They think no one can do it better or as well as they can. But in reality, someone probably can.
Mike: People who choose busyness often love the struggle. They like complaining about it, dealing with it emotionally, and telling others how busy they are. But no one cares how busy you are. They’re either busy themselves or wondering why you’re choosing to work so hard. In my 12 years of doing this, I’ve seen that 100% of the time, when business owners step out and let a president or CEO run the company, the business grows faster and makes more money. Why? Because a hired president won’t put up with the nonsense the owner might tolerate. They focus on growth, not on being busy.
Jackie: If you’re busy with tasks that don’t bring in revenue or profit, you’re not being effective. You’re just doing things quickly without considering if they actually matter.
Mike: Exactly. It’s easier to do tasks than to think about the right things to do, measure them, and see what’s working. But just being busy doesn’t mean you’re being productive.
Jackie: Thinking might not feel like you’re doing anything, but it helps you see opportunities in your business. It forces you to slow down and ask important questions.
Mike: As a physics guy, I know work is defined as force times distance. Moving a rock uphill has a specific measurable quantity: the force applied (in Newtons) times the distance moved.
In business, force is the effort you put in, and distance is the result. Thinking will get you farther; if your work is thinking, your results will be more significant, leading to greater success in revenue and profits. I once told Bruce I didn’t feel like I was doing anything because I spent my time thinking. He asked, “Well, who else is thinking about your business?” That made it clear that what we call work might not always be useful.
Work can be understood as force times distance, or, in business terms, as effort leading to results. To achieve growth and profitability, focus on quality thinking and fewer, more impactful actions. This approach will drive your business further into the future with greater profit and revenue. If you’re not doing this, no one else will.
Jackie: If you’re busy with tasks that don’t grow your business, you’re the lid on your growth and profitability. So, if that’s you, today is a great day to stop. Start replacing busy work with thinking time.
Mike: Join us next time when we talk about boredom.
Jackie: Great. See you later. Bye.