Have you ever heard of toxic productivity? It’s the belief that constant action and busyness equal value and success; an endless drive to do more, even when it drains your energy. It’s a mindset strategy, and one you may not even know you are running. That was me at one point in my life. I loved being busy. In fact, I wore it like a badge of honor, and it’s a hard habit to break. I would even write things I had already done on a list just so I could feel the satisfaction of crossing them off. It was almost like running an internal marathon where the finish line was bragging rights about how much I had accomplished. On the outside, it looked impressive. On the inside, it was exhausting.
I remember listening to a podcast one day where they shared a definition that stopped me in my tracks. Productivity, they said, is knowing what actually needs to be done and getting it done. Not everything; just the things that truly matter. That definition changed how I thought about work. Because if I were honest, a lot of my busyness wasn’t about impact. Sometimes it was avoiding the work I didn’t want to do but needed to. Sometimes it was chasing the easy wins that looked productive but really weren’t. And often it was simply a way of validating my importance by adding up the tasks.
The problem with busyness is that it doesn’t create power. It actually depletes it, because you’re not putting your energy where it will truly move the needle. Busyness keeps you running in place, while true productivity moves you forward.
The Trap Leaders Fall Into
Leaders are especially vulnerable to this. Many fall into the trap of modeling busyness for their teams. They refuse to give anything up, want to be responsible for everything, and see themselves as the fixer. They hesitate to delegate, convinced they need to prove themselves by doing it all. But that isn’t leadership. It’s overextension. And it shapes culture in unhealthy ways like rewarding people for looking busy instead of creating results, expecting constant availability, measuring worth by hours instead of outcomes, and passing down the idea that rest or reflection is wasted time.
When leaders chase everything, they aren’t defining what’s most important. That leaves the door open for someone else, the loudest voice, the biggest fire, or the latest crisis to decide what matters. While there are times when urgent circumstances take precedence, real leadership is having the clarity to consistently choose focus, not frenzy.
From Activity to Impact: The Bucket List Tool
So how do you shift from busyness to productivity? For me, it started when I realized not everything carried the same priority or weight. That led me to create a tool I call The Bucket List. It’s simple but powerful, and it can change the way you approach your day.
Here’s how it works: Take your to-do list and divide it equally among three buckets.
- A Bucket: These are the tasks that are critical to your focus. They move the needle toward what you’re truly trying to accomplish, whether it’s stepping into your next level of leadership, delivering a key project, or creating more harmony between your work and personal life. These are the must-do’s that carry the greatest impact.
- B Bucket: These items are important, but they don’t carry the same urgency or weight as the A bucket. They support your goals, but they aren’t the drivers. If you get to them, great. But they aren’t deal-breakers.
- C Bucket: Everything else. These are the tasks that might make you feel good to check off, but they don’t actually move you closer to what matters most.
The rule? You must divide your list equally among all three buckets. That rule alone forces you to prioritize differently. It makes you stop and ask, Does this really belong in the A bucket? Or is it just easier to check off? Once you’ve filled the buckets, put them in priority order. That simple system gives you clarity on what deserves your focus right now.
Here’s the deal: Your A bucket might hold things you’ve been avoiding because they feel heavy or difficult. That’s normal. It’s also why this exercise is powerful. It pulls your attention back to where it truly belongs.
Reflection Exercise
This week, take your current to-do list and put it through the Bucket List tool. Sort every single item into A, B, or C. Then ask yourself:
- Which A item have I been avoiding, even though I know it matters most?
- What busywork is sitting in my C bucket that I keep giving too much energy to?
- How can I focus on my A bucket first, even if it’s uncomfortable?
The answers will tell you a lot about where you’re investing energy and whether it’s moving you forward or keeping you spinning in circles.
A Team Perspective
This isn’t just a personal practice. Leaders can bring it into their team meetings, too. Ask your team members to bucket their own tasks and share what’s in their A bucket. You’ll quickly see whether their focus lines up with the team’s priorities or if they’re caught in the trap of busyness. It’s a simple way to create awareness, align energy, and build a culture where impact matters more than appearances.
Busyness is addictive because it feels good in the moment. But long term, it keeps you stuck. Productivity, on the other hand, is about clarity, focus, and impact. As a leader, you owe it to yourself and to your team to choose productivity over busyness.
