In this narrated article, the speaker outlines why individuals who manage an extremely high volume of tasks—referred to as "ultra‑busy" or "super‑busy"—should avoid generic productivity advice and instead adopt strategies tailored to their unique demands. The piece first describes the characteristic traits of such high‑performers (high energy, self‑driven, creative) and the resulting lifestyle challenges (overload, health issues, strained relationships). It then argues that conventional advice, designed for the average person, fails to address the scarcity of time these individuals face. The speaker proposes three concrete methods: (1) a "time‑scarcity schedule" that blocks every hour—including sleep, weekends, and holidays—to make the 24‑hour limit visible; (2) flexible, cloud‑based AI task‑management tools that can dynamically re‑juggle tasks when unexpected disruptions arise; and (3) a mindset of embracing personal agency, recognizing that the intense pace is a choice rather than a victimhood. The narrative concludes with a call to action, inviting ultra‑busy professionals to a free training program at scheduleyou.org, emphasizing the need to stay true to one’s calling while avoiding average advice.
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Hello and welcome back to the Chronicles for the Caribbean Cubicle podcast. Here's an article I wrote for the Jamaica Gleaner. It's entitled "Why Super Busy People Shouldn't Take Average Advice." If you manage an extremely high number of tasks, it's a mistake to accept productivity advice from just about anyone. Instead, you should use special solutions tailored for people like you. CEOs I have worked with share a few distinct characteristics. They tend to be: 1. High energy. Sometimes they get a lot done by simply working harder than others. 2. Driven. They don't need to be inspired by outsiders. They motivate themselves even under trying circumstances. 3. Creative. They routinely come up with novel solutions from disparate sources. While this list may appear to be little more than a bunch of "good things," these characteristics create a unique personality. And ultra-busy. She's someone who regularly places more tasks on her plate than she has the capacity to complete. In other words, she sets lofty aspirations which she sometimes can't meet. She is also prone to live an unbalanced life. High blood pressure, overweight, and lack of time with loved ones are common problems for her and others in this cohort. Finally, she fails to account for her uniqueness. Believing that others are "just like her," she mistakenly trusts them to deliver at the same level. Perhaps you recognize these traits in yourself. While they may sound like profound weaknesses, they actually come from a positive place. You see, ultra-bizzies aren't simply workaholics. Instead, they love tackling big problems, both for the inherent challenge and for the underlying mission. They aren't happy unless they use their brains, hearts, minds, and souls for a worthy purpose. As such, they give everything they can, often losing track of time as they tackle and resolve one issue after another. These totally immersive moments are high points. As such, their time is precious, making them fastidious in their choice of productivity habits and aids. Always on the lookout for the latest improvements, they need to heed a word of caution: much of the advice floating around is not actually meant for them. Here's why. During adolescence, each one of us starts to teach ourselves how to use our memory to manage our personal task load. Then, as we grow older, we search for better methods to handle more tasks. A few people, the ultra-busies, take this to an extreme. Their love of big results requires them to manage a monumental task load. Unlike others who see tasks as a burden, they willingly create lots of them in order to make quicker progress towards their life goals. However, most productivity advice doesn't account for this difference. Instead, it's geared for the average person who simply wants to survive each day using a few handy coping mechanisms. But if you happen to be an ultra-busy, what methods should you use? My research reveals the following: 1. Use a time scarcity schedule. Most people adopt a calendar exclusively to track appointments, but this technique won't work for ultra-busies. Instead, you must use your calendar to plan all your hours, including sleep, weekends, and holidays. In this way, it helps you confront the reality of a 24-hour day, especially when you reach the end of an activity and need to choose which one to do next. Other folks don't experience your level of scarcity and have lots of spare time. You don't, and a time budget is your key to keeping yourself on track in every dimension of your life. 2. Use flexible tools to combat disruptions. As an ultra-busy, you deal with unexpected daily disruptions. This means that you must use advanced task management software in place of either memory or paper tools. It's your answer to the problem of not having an administrative assistant who can rejuggle your schedule when the unplanned occurs. Instead, you're required to do everything on your own And the best choice of task manager is one that's cloud-based using the latest artificial intelligence. Number 3: Embrace your agency. If you are real ultra-busy, you probably exhaust others around you with your pace and intensity. Some will pity you, thinking that you are a sorry case, a victim of your success. However, deep down you know that nothing could be further from the truth. You accept and appreciate your own agency. Each task you undertake is one you created freely from far inside your commitments. So don't be alarmed others fail to understand. Instead, find the few who are like you and learn from them. You can take the free training I offer to ultra-busies at scheduleyou.org, the school for scheduling everything. Your job is to stay true to your calling and its consequence, the incredible time demands you put on yourself. Avoid average advice and uncover the thinking that fits your extraordinary commitments.
