Born Organized | Productivity Power

Productivity Power > Ban the "b" word ("busy")

Do you spin your wheels, running, rushing, busy, busy, busy, but get nothing done?

Then stop to ask yourself: Day-to-day, are you doing the most important things you need to do to live the life you want?

If the answer is no, it's probably because you've become so accustomed to going through the motions of mindless daily routines that you haven't considered there's any other way to live.

Born Organized® Founder, Helen Ksypka, points out that the opposite of busy is productive. "Instead of spinning your wheels being busy," says Helen, "productivity is focused. You choose tasks, deliberately, and learn to complete them efficiently."

But Helen warns that being productive, by itself, is not enough. "You can be productive and find that you're accomplishing nothing more than hollow successes. Even super productivity is useless if you're living up to the expectations of what society or others want from you, rather than what you want for yourself."

You can also be productive in ways you never thought of. Getting enough sleep is productive. Having fun is productive. And when you're frustrated or unable to concentrate, taking a break is productive.

Contrary to the cultural standard of "pushing yourself," a walk outside, soothing music, or meditation clears your head. And when you feel refreshed and vitalized, it sets the stage for productivity.

If you choose activities wisely and complete steps that deliver results, you tap into productivity power. It's what gets you out of bed in the morning, motivated, energized, and eager to pursue the life you want.

Helen's five dollar bet
Because Helen feels so strongly about the damaging effects of the "b" word, she decided to call attention to this matter by putting her money where her mouth is.

If you ever ask her how she's been or how things are going with her day and she answers: "I'm so busy," she'll hand you five dollars.

Helen's bet attracts the media
When Foster's Daily Democrat published a feature article about Born Organized®, it decided to include Helen's "five dollar" bet in their newspaper, just to keep her on her toes.

Though Helen is allowed to use the word "busy" when illustrating a point regarding the lives of other people, when asked in relation to herself, she can never use the "b" word, ever.

To date, she hasn't slipped up once. "I take this very seriously," says Helen. "Though everyone has fun trying to get that five dollars, I'm increasing awareness that there's a huge difference between being productive and being, you know what."

Helen's mission...
to ban the "b" word and have everyone tap into their "productivity power."