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Are You the Right Kind of Busy?

Updated 6/19/2020
Are You the Right Kind of Busy?
As you sit down to work this morning, consider this: Are you filling your time with the right kind of work?

You’ve probably had a pretty busy morning so far. Maybe you’ve answered some emails, written your to-do list, and prepared for the day ahead.

But I have a question for you (and please don’t take this the wrong way). Have you actually done anything?

Rather, have you done anything that’s produced results?

James Clear on the Buffer Blog breaks work into two types: motion and action. Action is the work that directly produces results. Motion is everything else. Sometimes motion is necessary to prepare us to take action. But other times, it’s a way of convincing ourselves we’re getting work done, without actually doing the hard stuff.

Clear gives a few examples of the difference in his post:

He suggests making sure action happens by scheduling it into your weekly workflow or setting a “due date” for when you’re going to move from motion to action on a particular project.

So, your goal for today? Make sure to integrate some “action” work into your daily “motion.” There’s a good chance you’ll feel way more accomplished at the end of the day.


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Erin Greenawald is a freelance writer, editor, and content strategist who is passionate about elevating the standard of writing on the web. Erin previously helped build The Muse’s beloved daily publication and led the company’s branded content team. If you’re an individual or company looking for help making your content better—or you just want to go out to tea—get in touch at eringreenawald.com.
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