You probably have some friends or just met some people who claim to be very busy, not with just their work, but with a lot of things they do in life.

You probably thought to yourself “Wow, they are very busy, they are probably very productive in their lives and jobs”.

However, that might not always be the case.

Most of the time you can be very busy, but, at the same time, not very productive.

It depends on how well you can manage your time and create a good schedule which you can follow.

We may have all the resources and opportunities to succeed, yet, without focus, we will achieve nothing. This is because we don’t know where to prioritize our attention, and everything we do becomes diluted. Being focused is a question of efficacy. It is about channeling and intensifying all your resources toward a certain task to engender a certain outcome.

To help you differentiate between the two, here are the biggest differences between a busy and a productive person.

Any time we spend on excuses is time not spent on creation. If you allow yourself to practice excuses, you will get better and better at excuses. Productive people don’t use time as an excuse. An action either supports its highest values and mission, or it does not. If it does not, they don’t do it – even if they have a whole day off.

Nobody is ever too busy, if they care they will make time. Life is a question of priorities. If you have 3 priorities, you have priorities. If you have 25 priorities, you have a mess.

Feeling productive is not the same as being productive. This is important. I can feel productive while I’m playing a game. I can feel unproductive while I’m producing an excellent blog post that will help others take better actions.

Busy managers measure hours of activity, productive managers measure output. Busy managers are frustrated by others looking relaxed, looking like they have time, looking like they are enjoying their work. Productive managers love seeing others enjoy their work, love creating an environment in which others can excel.

Busy people are frustrated. They want to be valued for their effort, not for their results.

Productivity is about valuing the journey towards excellence, not any moment of activity.

Busy people hide their doubts about the destination of their lives by acting confident in their little steps.

Productive people allow others to see the doubt in their little steps because they are clear on the destination.

To focus on the top 20% of activities, you must gain clarity about what those activities are for yourself. The greatest resource you will ever have to guide you to live a good life is your personal experience – if well documented. Sadly, most people only document their life in Facebook status updates. Keep a diary and take 5 minutes every day to reflect on the past day, on what worked, on what didn’t work; and some time on what inspires you.

It is good to open yourself to options. It’s wonderful to want to travel, learn languages, climb mountains and explore. However, there comes a point in life where one must let go of most options and focus.

Busy people never say no: they say yes to everything. As a result, they fill their schedules with things that keep them busy but don’t change their life.

Saying “no” is about protecting this limited resource called “time” so that you can use it for the things that matter.

Busy people have no problem with working hard, but the problem is that they don’t work smart. They follow the same old way of doing things without exploring other alternatives that can improve efficiency. As a result, they end up working more but achieve less.

Busy people work hard. Productive people work hard and work smart.

Time management is the process of planning and controlling how much time to spend on specific activities. Good time management enables an individual to complete more in a shorter period, lowers stress, and leads to career success.

Busy managers measure hours of activity, productive managers measure output. Busy managers are frustrated by others looking relaxed, looking like they have time, looking like they are enjoying their work. Productive managers love seeing others enjoy their work, love creating an environment in which others can excel.

Busy people are frustrated. They want to be valued for their effort, not for their results.

Spend less time talking about what you will do and dedicate that time to creating the first step. What can you do now that requires the approval of nobody else? What can you do with the resources, knowledge, and support that you have now? Do that. It is amazing how the universe rewards the person who stops talking and begins.

Don’t let your potential go to waste. Create something amazing. This is its reward.

The most productive and efficient people are those that “own their day” rather than letting their day own them. They work to maximize their time to be as productive as possible, not just busy.

Productive people progress more in life while busy people are just busy pretending to be successful when in fact they are not.

Think about individuals in your life who you would consider highly productive. Have you ever thought to yourself why you think of them in that manner?

It’s not because they answer the most emails or have the most social media followers. The main reason you feel someone is productive is because of the accomplishments they can achieve while others are not.

Surround yourself with productive people and you will start understanding how to focus and complete some of the most important tasks in your life.