Busy vs Productive

Does being busy imply being productive? I don't think so.

Doing something without a goal is futile. If we run a business without a vision, we cannot be productive. If we start a heath regime without fitness goals, we cannot reach anywhere. If we do not raise a child with a particular mindset, we really cannot do justice.

Our efforts need to channelized in order to get the best productivity for them. Different people put in the same effort levels, getting different returns from them. This happens solely because of the difference in their goals and visions. So be busy, but also be productive at the same time!

Identify Where You Want to Reach

This may sound very easy but I feel this is the most important and unsolved questions in our lives and work. Once we figure out where we eventually want to reach, the path to reach it can only then be worked out.

In life, we often reach points where we have multiple choices. Selecting one becomes very difficult and gives us sleepless nights. We feel scared that we may make a wrong choice and we may end up wasting time and resources.

When Beveragewala closed down, I went through along and mentally exasperating period of life. I did not what to do. I thought I can study more, startup again, get a job, freelance and so on. Everyday I used to think positively about one option in the morning and by the end of the day, I used to turn quite negative about it not because the options were not suitable for me, but because I was unsure whether it would turn out to be the best for me. This went on for a quite long.

One day I decided to make a word document about where I wish to reach in the long term. Once I was able to identify that, the path seemed much more clear for me. From the eventual goal I Had in mind, I started working backward and was able to identify what I needed to do in the shorter term to reach my long term.

This is a strategy which works in your work, family life and also in life in general. Always start with the longer term goal (vision) and the path to it becomes much easier to identify.

Invest in Yourself!

When we think of investing, the first things which come to our minds are property, shares, bonds etc. We tend to forget the most important asset we possess, OURSELVES.

I am my biggest and most productive asset. I believe that we must first think of investing in ourselves, be it by doing a course to add a skill set, going for that $300 spa to calm me down, visiting new places to learn from them and also relax myself and so on. Investing in myself has several advantages

- It's Permanent: What I do for myself stays with me forever.

- It's Value Additive: All things I do for myself keep getting added to things I have previously done, thereby creating greater value through a compounding effect.

- It's Protected from External Factors: All investments have external factors and risks associated with them.

- It's the Asset you Know the Best About: Since you need to invest in an asset which you know the best about, investment in yourself makes sense.

So I think it's time we realise that our best investment option is to invest in ourselves first, and then look outside.