The Productivity Guru: Why Less Activity Is More, Part 1

The other day, I was talking to a friend about an upcoming event, and she said she couldn't come because she was too busy. I've heard this statement a million times before from a million different people (After all, I am in the time-management business!), but when she said it to me, it felt different.

I couldn't put my finger on it, but I sensed that she couldn't make it because she was too important. Now, this may be my internal issues coming up; however, it got me thinking: Why is she so busy? Aren't we all busy? We all have the same 24 hours in a day! In my opinion, it comes down to making choices. Even the busiest people make time for the things that are important to them. And, they do this because they have clarity about how to spend their time and what to focus on.

Strategies for Success

Here are four simple steps to create a less-busy life:

1. Love yourself.

What does that mean? Well, consider your core four, the four main areas in your life that you want to focus on. For example, these might be: health, work, family and spirit. This means that all of your activities, reading materials, and free time should correspond to one of these areas. This is a quick and simple way to bring you back to what's important and help you clarify your decision-making process.

2. Learn how to say "no."

Say it loudly, consistently and without guilt. If you're a "yes-person," you will always be busy doing things that don't matter to you or correspond to your core four. Learn to stop caring about things that don't matter, and watch your life become instantly less busy.

3. Make a schedule.

Have a plan for your day, week, month and year. I guarantee that you'll always get more done if you have a plan and get things out of your head. This puts things in front of you, which helps you clear your head and see things differently. And, this ultimately helps you focus on what's important.

4. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

Become more aware about what you're busy doing and recognize that, as a society, we're addicted to busyness. When we're busy, we feel important. It's almost as if when we're not busy and our calendars aren't full, we don't feel as important or loved.

Use the principles of less to get more. Now that you know what less means, tune into my next article to find out what more stands for!

Sara Caputo, MA, is a productivity and organizing consultant who has been streamlining environments and simplifying lives for years through consulting, coaching and training. She believes that by creating more order in our lives and eliminating unnecessary chaos, we can participate more fully in all levels of life. Sara is the owner of Radiant Organizing, a professional organizing and consulting company, based in Santa Barbara, California.