It seems like too much emphasis is put on efficiency in the workplace nowadays.
Very often, we are just getting nowhere in a very efficient way.
What you actually want is effectiveness.
Efficiency should only concern you if it helps you deliver cheaper or faster.
If value is your focus, you need to "do the right thing" before you worry about "doing the thing right."
Here is the problem with worshiping efficiency: if you are perfectly efficient, you eliminate all your slack.
But innovation is not efficient. Creativity is not efficient. Figuring out complex problems involves setbacks, pivoting, and doubting. If you don't have any slack in your system, you severely hinder your ability to adapt and be truly effective.
If you want to achieve more, don't pile on more work, add some slack. It sounds counterintuitive, but building in a buffer makes you more flexible. It gives you the space to step back and realize that half the things on your plate probably didn't need doing anyway.
Ultimately, efficiency is only as valuable as the slack it buys you. You are at your most productive when you are relaxed, in flow, and not overthinking every move.
To counter Parkinson's Law (the rule that work expands to fill all the time available for its completion) and stop being busy at all times, try shifting your focus:
- Prioritize outcomes over outputs: Sometimes you don't know exactly what the output should look like at the start. Trust the process, adapt, and focus on the final outcome.
- Stops starting, start finishing: Reduce waste and create flow. Focus purely on getting things across the finish line.
- Reward the efficiency: If you find the fastest way to get something done, celebrate. Take that saved time back as slack instead of immediately filling it with more work.
Effective first. Efficient second.