What's The Secret To Proactivity?

​“I’m so busy!”  How often have you heard that, uttered with a hint of pride and satisfaction?  Now be honest, how often have you said that, with the intention of sharing how much you are getting done and how much you are crushing it?

But let’s not get fooled.  Being busy doesn’t mean you are being more proactive, that you are intentionally seeking new opportunities or challenges.  Busy people tend to be reactive, being managed by new tasks that pop into their inbox rather than working strategically. In comparison, proactivity is about focusing on what’s important, and sometimes going out of your comfort zone to achieve goals.  

At the start of the year you might have set an intention or resolution for your goals.  There is no way to achieve these by being reactive. Think of a goal like a house, you have to build it up from the ground up which takes planning and preparation.  

“If you don’t ask, you don’t get.”  

This is an oversimplified statement, but at the heart of it is truth.  If you don’t raise your hand for opportunities in the workplace, or step outside of your comfort zone in another situation no one is going to know that you wanted to prove or that you had a desire to achieve something important to you.  

Think of proactivity as the only way to move forward. While reactivity may keep you occupied, it doesn't have any movement. It makes you feel stuck. Isn’t moving forward more important than achieving inbox zero?

But how can we go about being more proactive and less reactive?  Here are a few thoughts:

Plan and be disciplined

Remember that proactivity can help you move forward?  Well, you do need a destination in mind. It doesn’t have to be a five-year detailed plan, but get specific about even one goal to work towards and brainstorm ways to get there.  You will quickly realise that ‘waiting for it to happen’ is not an option, and there are things you will actively need to do to achieve your goal. Being proactive means you have to think ahead and get more granular in your approach, as suggested by WIP Coach Janine Manning. 

​Check out how she decides on a game-changing goal to help her get more specific.  

Deal with procrastination

The thing is, being reactive can feel good.  

​The dopamine hit of getting to an email right away, saying yes to that meeting tomorrow or crossing that new task off the to-do list makes us feel like productive human beings.  But being reactive is actually the easy way out, and a form of procrastination. Often we deal with all the mundane, non-urgent stuff first because these are the less scary tasks - you know how to do them with your eyes closed.  By doing these things first, you are procrastinating and putting off what really could excite you - but this exciting thing can also be scary. Maybe you are looking at a career change, or upskilling or adding a side hustle but it’s all new to you.  Working reactively allows you to put off tomorrow (or never) something that scares you now. Once you have planned out your goal, aim to put in the time in while acknowledging your fears and reservations.

​Say No

You need time and space to be proactive, which means saying no to some things.  This is pretty hard for some people, but such a valuable skill to learn. Being reactive can please other people, and you might feel this is one way to make yourself indispensable.  But how often have you gone ahead with a task you’ve been given that wasn’t urgent and felt that your time was better spent elsewhere? Rather than believing that ‘no’ is a hard stop, think of it a pause.  It’s a chance to give the other person time to pause and consider whether their request was fair and realistic. And yes, I know that your boss sometimes doesn’t care about that, so think about how you can manage their expectations.  For example, if you know a project is going to take a week but they want it done it two days outline all the tasks that would be necessary so they can see it from your point and view.  Highlight that to do a good job a week is the right timeline. ‘No’ doesn’t have to mean ‘never’, it can mean ‘later’.  

​Practice saying no, and you’ll be surprised the respect and understand it can bring.  

"The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say no to almost everything."
-- Warren Buffett

Do you still need some more inspiration to become proactive?  

​WIP Ambassador Rachel Yeung shared how she researched what the organisation she wanted to work with looked like, which led her to discovering her dream marketing role at BYDEAU, an online gift-giving company.  

How did you find BYDEAU and what drew you to the company?
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I found BYDEAU through the Honeycombers HK website, and was immediately drawn to their branding - it was and still is very much aligned with my personal aesthetic, which I share via social media. A lot of research went into finding out more about the brand story on different platforms, lots of stalking on Instagram of course. From that I knew I wanted to contribute to the company.

What made you approach this company so proactively?
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Most of us have been there, job hunting can be a long and tiring process, often coming across job openings that don’t spark joy. In general, I only approach companies which I really feel passionate about and can see myself growing with. It’s like what people say, if you find a job you love, you’ll never work another day in your life.

There wasn’t an advertised opening for this role at the time, but the company ticked a lot of boxes so I took a chance and reached out to the founder on LinkedIn. I once read a handy article on how to connect with senior management on LinkedIn, and the main takeaway was not to overly sell yourself. Express an interest in what they do and mention that you’d like to keep up with their work, followed by a bit of background about yourself.

I was lucky enough that BYDEAU had the bandwidth to add a headcount within marketing just as I was about to move to Hong Kong. Once a meeting was set up, it was important to be able to identify my strengths and weaknesses. Being an online business, I felt they’d be looking for someone with experience in digital marketing - definitely an area I could improve on. I had to think about how I was going to stand out in the interview by focusing on my strengths and willingness to learn.
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So I created a marketing plan for them, which showcased different ideas I had tailored to BYDEAU for 2018 - from Instagram content to collaborations and events.  Although this was not mentioned in our email exchange, I believed that voluntarily creating a proposal would show initiative and thorough research was done.

So the secret to proactivity is that there is no secret!  Just habits and behaviours. 
What helps you be more proactive and less reactive?  Let us know in the comments!