Is busyness killing productivity?

We live in the era of busyness. Everyone is busy trying to be everywhere and to do everything at once. While society may romanticise the idea of being busy, the reality is that we open ourselves up to being overworked, while not allowing ourselves to be fully present and focused. In your business, this could lead to a mounting pile of unfinished tasks, things falling through the cracks, and important undertakings being put on the back burner, never to be thought of again. Let’s talk about busyness vs productivity.

Does busyness equal productivity?

Busyness acts as a distraction and rarely translates into productivity. I am sure we have all experienced a day of running around, only to get to the end of that day and realise that we failed to do what needed to be done, even though we were busy all day.

Instead of idealising being able to do everything alone, I challenge you to start seeing this as a potential weakness. Today, more than ever, help and additional resources are easily accessible. Effectively using the resources available to you can become your biggest strength and competitive advantage. Learn to rely on the correct people and colleagues to ensure that each aspect of your business is thriving.

Make the most of your resources

So how do you go about building such a collection of individuals to help you stay focused and invest in the success of your business? The answer is by making sure you have the correct people in your team to support you when needed and to help guide your business through uncharted territory. The expertise you need may not be on-farm, but may very well be available from outside sources that you already work with.

The dairy industry has a host of highly technical people who work with farmers and who offer additional support to customers. Use these companies and their expert knowledge as a resource to draw from in times of need.

To identify the expertise that can really add value to your business, ask yourself these two questions:

• What does each company bring to the table?
• Is there additional technical support that comes with a product, and can you easily access additional expertise that you may otherwise not have access to?

These are questions that you should be asking yourself when evaluating whether a company should become part of your on-farm team. Ensuring that you have a strong and trusted technical team to support your business will help you navigate through any challenges you may face.

Separate the wheat from the chaff

Out of all of the companies and people interacting with your business on a daily basis, how do you select those that could add value to your team? This may be the trickier part; however, it is possible.

Keep an eye out for these indicators when separating the wheat from the chaff:

Always try to ensure that your ‘brain trust’ is routed in science

Science will always try to tell it straight and it is constantly evolving. What is true today, may change over time as we learn more, and that is OK. Science-based companies and specialists will help you transition into the future and keep up by applying promising technologies or strategies that will help give your business an advantage going forward.

Teamwork is dreamwork

As we discussed in last month’s article (“Becoming agile together“, The Dairy Mail, November 2021), success is achieved when everyone is working towards a common goal. Ultimately, all your team members are there to help improve your business. Keep an eye out for disruptors that work against the team, breaking down momentum and productivity. Ultimately, a dedicated team is essential to take the business forward.

Be innovative

Times are changing quicker than some of us would like. Global warming was once a vague conspiracy theory, and we never thought the vegan movement would become as massive as it is now. Surround yourself with team members that are constantly working to be ahead of the curve to keep up with a changing environment and industry. These members are often the link to the rest of the world on-farm. Knowledge and developments shared are often the result of a collaborative effort from different dairy industries to help solve some very real problems on-farm.

Build your team of expertise

It may be difficult to sift out those who can contribute to your business, but once you have these members on the team, you can increase your focus on what really matters. Pull from these outside resources to strengthen the skill set in your team. Your ‘brain trust’ can help you cut down on the busyness of farming and give you the peace of mind of knowing that even in uncertain times, your team on and off the farm is helping to move your business forward.

Download the full article in PDF format here, as published in the December 2021 issue of The Dairy Mail.

Elizabeth Kuhn (Van Papendorp)

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Technical adviser: Ruminants

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