Have you ever had a workday where you were so busy that the time flew by, but you didn’t really accomplish anything? The sad reality is that you’re not alone.

One study found that 42% of employees spend half of their workday on busywork.

Another study by Visier found 43% of employees spend more than 10 hours a week on “productivity theatre” work – essentially, tasks that make them appear to be busy, but which aren’t critical to the organization’s long term objectives.

So what can leaders do to put a stop to busywork and help employees focus on work that really matters?

A good place to start is to get clear about what tasks are critical to your ability to achieve your goals today and in the weeks ahead, and which tasks are as useful as watching paint dry.

So for this edition of my “Leadership Espresso Shot” podcast series, I share a simple, but powerful strategy that will help you to not only identify and banish busywork, but develop a laser-like focus on those tasks that will drive value creation and growth for the organization.

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