ARE YOU GETTING BUSY FOR NOTHING?
“Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all”—Peter Drucker
Kola was in his apartment on an evening that his favorite football club in the English Premier League had a game they were desperate to win. He really needed to watch TV badly but he wasn’t able to find the TV remote. So, he started searching for remote all around the house. While searching for it, he saw his car keys laying quietly on the floor. Looking at car keys, he remembered that the car is parked out of house and he needs to park it in garage. He goes in garage to open the gate to park the car. But he saw lots of stuff lying here and there, littering the garage. So, he decided to start cleaning the garage. While cleaning the garage, he realized that it was getting dark outside, and he suddenly remembered that the external lamp for the house is faulty, and he had it in mind to buy a replacement from the store… But the reality he now was facing was
The house needed an external lamp…
It’s getting dark outside…
Garage is still dirty….
The car is still parked outside…
He’s still not able to find TV remote….
This guy was busy all day trying to do stuff. However, he didn’t complete any task so he wasn’t productive. In his mind, he was trying to make more efficient some things that probably shouldn’t be done at all at the particular time, just as Peter Drucker describes a non-productive person.
Kola’s story is an illustration of how many people live their lives. They do not have a purposefully planned life that will make them effective in their spheres of influence. You need to live for purpose every day of your life. A life without a purpose cannot have definite plan. And a life without a plan can just be carried away with busyness and randomness of events and of the environment. This is why many youths and even some clueless adults spend their time on triviality and frivolity of the modern world. When you do not have a purpose you live for, just anything will keep you busy. There is a saying that says “An idle hand is the devil’s workshop” – Many people think idleness is sitting down without anything, or laying doing on the bed all day sleeping. Being idle actually means spending your time on frivolity. You are doing things but the things you are spending time on do not count; they do not by any means lead to the fulfilment of your destiny; everybody sees you as being busy but you are not productive.
Bankers are one of the most admired and respected professionals in Africa. People are often misled that they usually have enough money than an average person because of the name of the organizations they work, how well they dress, and especially how busy they are. I do not have any aversion for banking but I want to point out that you should only be busy working in a profession that is related to your calling in life or your passion. Many people have found themselves in this field today just because of the need to make a living. Will you agree with me that they are busy doing nothing if it does not count towards an effective life nor culminates in the fulfilment of their destiny? Here what a few of them said on a popularly known blog site:
“I am currently a banker and have worked as a banker for about 4 yrs. I often dream of life outside banking. To be sincere, I don’t love what I do, but that is what pays my bills. I recently moved to one of the top banks in Nigeria, but over here it is still the same sh*t. Even worse here is that I work 24/7 – trust me, every day of the week. And it is beginning to hurt. I have no time for the things I love. I go to church sparingly. I am not growing; my life just seems to be all about the job. It’s not funny anymore. I am tired. Some colleagues seem to have reached their comfort zone. I desire to be a business man/Investor, but this job is not even giving me time to try other things…”
“I presently work with a bank and I tell you – it is not easy; you are so worn out each time when you get home; my wife complains I don’t have time for her each time I get home. I’m always very tired; I find it hard to stay awake up till 9pm, and funny thing is that people think bankers have lots of money but I tell you – before the next pay day, a lot of people are already begging for short loans till salary arrives. The more income you make; the more expenses start coming from nowhere. If you are not much disciplined, you can’t manage your money well. And the truth be told if most of these bankers are laid off with even two months’ notice, I’m sure they will be left with just a month’s pay because they have lots of debts to pay.”
The sad and gruesome complaints of those bankers are just a few of the many ones in the wrong professions (not only banking). They work tireless day and night trying to make ends meet. The sole purpose of their existence has become all about paying bills. They do not know that being busy doing the wrong thing is the shortest way to wear yourself out and waste your time on earth.
What are you busy doing? Are you busy working on your divine agenda? Are you busy making impact in your sphere of influence?
If you detest what you are busy doing so badly, you should be sure that your life is not being effective. If you are not busy doing what you love and are passionate about, you are living against the design of God. If you are busy just trying to impress others or trying to feel among, you have chosen a wrong purpose to live for. You need to begin to live for something of eternal consequence. You need to identify your purpose and plan out your life meticulously so that you don’t start confusing business with busyness.
To be continued Tomorrow, don’t miss it!
Excerpts from the Book “HOW TO LIVE AN EFFECTIVE LIFE”. #DSABOOKS
This book can be found on dsabooksplanet.com and Amazon.com
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, CHURCH AND NATION
BY DR. SUNDAY ADELAJA
