Being productive differs from being busy.

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Have you ever found yourself occupied at work all day long, but at the end of the day, not actually getting the majority of the things you needed to get done done?

You are not alone, though. People frequently mistakenly believe that working long hours at a desk equates to productivity, but this is untrue. Permit me to describe those as follows:

Productive individuals concentrate on a single task.
The majority of individuals believe that multitasking counts as productivity. responding to emails while having a manager Skype meeting. taking a client call and writing a report at the same time.

However, research indicates that people struggle to focus and remember details when they transition between tasks. Not to add that juggling many tasks increases our likelihood of making blunders.

Conversely, productive individuals concentrate on completing one activity at a time. They complete their work quickly and effectively by concentrating their thoughts and giving it their whole attention.

Effective people intentionally say "yes."
if you always answer "yes" when someone at work begs for assistance, even if it takes up too much of your time. If you tend to take on additional tasks even when your plate is already full, you probably don't get much done since you're constantly busy rather than being productive.

Those that are productive "choose their battles." They respect their time and don't mind saying "no" when they know they won't be able to handle it. Before taking on additional work, they consider the consequences and whether it would conflict with their priorities.

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In relation to priorities...

Productive individuals select a small number of goals.
People that are busy usually have a large list of things they need to get done during the day. At work, they're always working hard and rushing from one assignment to the next in the hopes of finishing everything by the end of the day.

Conversely, productive individuals choose a small number of priorities. They decide at the beginning of the day which priorities are the most crucial and on which they will concentrate all of their energy. They know that taking on too much work and hopping about without a clear plan would simply slow them down rather than increase productivity.

In summary
In summary, productive individuals are more strategic about their goals, understand the value of prioritizing, and have good time management skills. active people, on the other hand, strive to do more by just being active and linking activity with accomplishment.