In the world of information overflow, we are more distracted than any other generation before us. There always seem to be something new that we need to learn about, some important email that we need to answer to, another unnecessary meeting that we need to attend. “Business” has become the ultimate state most of us live in. But have we traded effectiveness for business?

These three things clearly distinguish productive people from the ones who are just busy:

How many items you usually have on your to-do list?

Productive people know that they are not superheroes and are aware of the power of prioritizing. They never put on their to-do lists too many things; they just put the most important tasks that have to be done. And then they get to work. Constantly busy people have swamped schedules and tend to put in their to-do lists every little task that should be done. In the end, they just rush through the schedule, focusing on doing more than on doing things better.

Multitasking – a friend or a foe?

Focusing on one task at a time is inherent to productive people. Multitasking actually slows you down. People, who multitask, are more prone to making mistakes and tend to be more stressed. The brain can’t focus on two things at a time, so multitasking basically is switching your attention from one task to another, keeping you busy, yet less productive.

Do you measure progress?

Productive people prioritize results while people who are just busy rarely focus on measuring the progress they make. They like to track their progress as it allows them to evaluate what works and what doesn’t and gives information that can be used for improvement. Productive people work effectively; the always-busy-ones just fill their time with tasks without prioritizing their importance.