Are you busy or are you fruitful?

Are you busy or are you fruitful?

I have been thinking a lot about the difference between being busy and being fruitful.

Busy looks like full calendars, endless tasks, and constant motion.
Fruitful is quieter. It is doing the few things that truly matter and allowing time to do some of the work.

The difference is subtle, but it changes everything.

A few principles keep resurfacing for me.

1. the 80 20 principle

A small number of actions tend to create most of the impact. Beyond that, there is often a long tail of diminishing returns.

Being effective is rarely about doing more. It is about identifying which actions genuinely move the needle and having the discipline to prioritise them.

2. focus beats breadth

Gary Keller wrote The One Thing. I still have not quite got round to reading it, but the core idea is simple. Extraordinary results usually come from narrowing focus, not expanding effort.

Depth creates momentum. Constant expansion fragments it.

3. know how you work

A friend shared recently that he is far more effective when he commits to one meaningful task per day, rather than switching constantly.

That insight feels especially relevant if you have a portfolio career, multiple projects, or endless communication channels. Self-knowledge matters more than productivity hacks. And when you do switch tasks, it helps to recognise that switching itself consumes energy.

4. consistency matters

In yoga, there is the concept of tapas. It refers to the discipline of showing up.

Doing small, unimpressive reps compounds over time. Progress often comes from consistency rather than intensity.

5. done beats perfect

Most of us know the idea often attributed to Steve Jobs. Progress comes from finishing, not from polishing forever.

Perfection can quietly become a form of avoidance.

6. busy does not prove that you are important

Joanna Martin, who I had the joy of learning coaching from, speaks about how busyness can be worn as a badge of honour.

I would add my own take. For 2026, busy is out. Fruitful and bountiful work is in.

If you need inspiration, look at James Clear. He wrote for seven years before getting a book deal. Years of publishing, refining, and learning in public before anything bloomed. Now his books have appeared on bestseller lists since 2018.

Progress often looks invisible right up until it does not.

Clear talks about increasing surface area. Sharing ideas as evergreen content. Nurturing relationships. Putting small things into the world. Over time, buds form. Then one day, seemingly suddenly, they bloom.

Why this matters even more now

This feels especially relevant in the current moment.

AI is giving us powerful new tools. Last week, I built my first agent, something that would have felt unthinkable not long ago. It is exciting, and I agree that we are only at the tip of the iceberg.

But I also wonder what this means for burnout and decision fatigue.

If tools can do more, the limiting factor becomes us. Our attention. Our judgement. Our ability to decide what matters and what does not.

We are not machines. Productivity does not come from squeezing more into every day. It comes from choosing well, resting enough, and staying human.

More on building with AI soon.

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