You may also have caught yourself creating busy work for your-
self because it makes you feel productive. Also, doing something
simple but unnecessary may be a lot easier than actually planning
what you ought to be doing next.
When you take a hard look at the things you do, don’t just look
to eliminate tasks that others ask or require you to do. Get rid of
the self-generated busy work, too.
You may have caught yourself doing low-priority or unneces-
sary jobs to avoid doing the harder task you really need to be doing.
For me, almost anything is easier than organizing a long, complex
piece of writing or engaging in budget planning. It’s amazing what
I’ll do to avoid these. And as long as I’m doing something, I’m just
“too busy” to get to the onerous stuff.
In many offices today, the most pervasive form of work avoid-
ance work is “surfing” the net. Web casting certainly keeps you
busy, you’re undoubtedly learning something (although its appli-
cation to the workplace may be tenuous), and once you learn to
find your way around you start having a wonderful time.
But that seductive screen gobbles time in huge gulps. And
while you’re “busy” surfing, other work is waiting—work that may
put you under severe time pressure later.
Not all net surfing is work avoidance, of course (just as not all
sidewalk sweeping is done merely in the cause of looking busy).
But the surfer knows how to determine the usefulness of the ride.
When you catch yourself doing work avoidance work, redirect
your time and energy.
The “nOT-TO-D O” LiST anD The “LeT-O TherS-D O-iT ” LiST
We do a lot of what we do today because we did it yesterday, and
the day before. We’re accustomed to doing it, perhaps even in the
habit of doing it, and doing it is actually easier than not doing it.
You may need to create a “not-to-do” list to remind you of the
tasks you’ve decided to eliminate from your routine. This may
J U S T D O N’ T D O I T!