Busyness vs Purpose

Distractions aren't the biggest enemy. Wasted effort is.

Author

Jason Griffing
March 09, 2025

In this edition, we tap into a wake-up call from Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, reminding us that when it comes to living an impactful life, the real enemy isn’t distraction—it’s effort spent on things that don’t matter.

🎯 The Idea In a Nutshell:

  • Distractions pull us off course, but the bigger trap is wasted effort.

  • Society, our work, and our desire to achieve all push us to stay on the grind.

  • But never forget: real impact is measured not just by how hard you work, but what you choose to work on.

📝 Diving Deeper

It’s easy to blame our lack of progress on distractions. Endless meetings. Constant notifications. The chaos of family life or the difficulty of leading a team. But Marcus Aurelius flips the script—what if the real problem isn’t the distractions we dodge, but the effort we pour into work that leads us nowhere.

❝

…stop letting yourself be pulled in all directions. But make sure you guard against the other kind of confusion. People who labor all their lives but have no purpose to direct every thought and impulse toward are wasting their time—even when hard at work.

We’ve all felt it. Grinding through the day. Checking all the boxes. Putting in the extra hours. Only to look back and wonder what the fuck we actually accomplished.

Distractions aren’t the real enemy we’re fighting here, wasted effort is. We’re stuck on auto-pilot — spending our time fixing trivial problems, chasing short-term wins, never stopping to ask what we’re building toward.

It’s easy to get trapped down the rabbit hole of “productivity porn”. Apps, hacks, and advice to help you get stuff done. But the real question is — what stuff? What good is it to get a bunch of shit done if none of it actually matters?

Remember: You’re built for more than just staying busy. You’re built for a purpose.

Impact = Productivity + Purpose.

So find your North Star. Now. Purpose isn’t some distant prize, something to pursue “once things settle down.” It’s a choice you can make today. Carve out time to think and reflect. You’ve got one life to live, and the clock is ticking.

Decide what’s worth your energy. And lock onto it.

👉 Why it matters:

  • Distractions are unavoidable

  • Purpose is a choice.

  • Our families’ well-being, our own fulfillment, and our legacy all require that we be intentional about how our focus time is spent.

🤔 Prompts for Reflection

  • Where might you be climbing a ladder that’s leaning against the wrong wall?

  • What’s one shift you could make today to better align your efforts with your real purpose?

  • How can you make time for meaningful work on a regular cadence?

Make today impactful,
~Jason