Busy vs. Effective: How to Know the Difference and Lead with Intention

Most leaders know what it feels like to be busy. The meetings, the emails, the constant demands. It’s easy to fill your day without moving forward. But there’s a difference between being busy and being effective. And if you’re serious about growth—personally or professionally—it’s essential to know which one you’re leaning into.

Here’s a powerful way to evaluate that difference:

Ask yourself, What are three things I will do today to make today great?

It’s a daily prompt I return to again and again. It gives me clarity. It sets the tone. It helps me separate activity from impact.

But the practice doesn’t stop at the end of the day. At the end of each week, I take time to reflect. I ask:

• What moved me forward this week?

• Where did I create value?

• What gave me energy and focus?

  
  

I do this with the help of an accountability partner. We check in, and I review my calendar and journal entries, identifying the moments that mattered. It’s not about checking boxes—it’s about discovering what actually made a difference.

From there, I look ahead to the next week and build it intentionally. If something moved me forward this week, I ask: How can I bring more of that into the next one?

One of the tools I use is what I call my Big Win Folder—a simple place where I save small victories, meaningful feedback, and reminders of the value I’ve created. That might be an email from a client, a successful conversation, or a moment that confirmed I was living in alignment with my values.

That folder isn’t just about celebration. It’s a resource. It reminds me of what matters. And often, it points to patterns. Those “wins” are almost always tied to something deeper: purpose, clarity, service.

Another principle that helps separate busy from effective is the 80/20 Rule, also known as the Pareto Principle. Roughly 80% of our results come from just 20% of our effort. The question becomes: What’s your 20%?

Where are you operating in your zone of genius—the space where you feel energized, focused, and results are actually being created? That’s where effectiveness lives. Too often, it’s the space we unintentionally deprioritize in favor of urgent-but-unimportant tasks.

Here’s one more way to evaluate effectiveness: If you could only do three things this week, what would they be?

Now go deeper. If you could only do one thing today, what would have the most impact on your personal or professional growth?

Effectiveness isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters most—on purpose, with intention, and in alignment with your values.

So the next time your calendar feels full, pause and ask:Am I being busy—or am I being effective?