In today's "always on" world, many of us find ourselves constantly "doing" things—ticking off tasks, attending meetings, and staying perpetually busy. But are we truly making progress, or are we just busy fools?

It's easy to mistake "busyness" with productivity, but there's a crucial distinction. People often fall into the trap of 'pseudo-productivity,' where they focus on tasks that feel urgent but that are ultimately unimportant, and that unfortunately often have little impact. We are naturally inclined to prioritise tasks with deadlines, even when they have less impact.

How much of what we do actually makes an impact? Are our actions driving meaningful change, or are we simply filling our days with activities that lead nowhere? The Pareto Principle (the 80/20 rule) underscores this point. It suggests that roughly 80% of results come from 20% of efforts. If we apply this to our daily routines, it means that a significant portion of what we do may be contributing little to our overall goals.

The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, says that 80% of results come from 20% of the causes. In business, it’s designed to help you focus on the 20% of efforts that are directly linked to outcomes that drive sales, revenue, and growth.

When we're constantly busy, our ability to make high-quality decisions diminishes throughout the day. This means that not only are we potentially wasting time on low-impact tasks, but we may also be compromising the quality of our work on the tasks that truly matter.

Decision fatigue is a phrase popularised by John Tierney, and is the tendency for peoples' decision making to become impaired as a result of having recently taken multiple decisions.

If your actions aren't making an impact—on someone, something, or even yourself—what's the point? It’s worth reflecting on how much of our daily efforts are truly impactful. If they're not, could it be that we're wasting time on tasks that don’t really matter? Instead of simply staying busy, we should aim to focus on activities that align with our long-term goals and have a genuine impact.

Don't be a busy fool - learn to be strong and at times aware enough (in the right circumstances of course) to be able to "say no". Some of the most happy and productive people are the ones who have done exactly that.

James

ONEHUNDRED%Club