Many of us admire speed, since it’s typically associated with winning. Although being fast undeniably has many advantages, its greatest value comes when you temper it with efficiency.
- Think of it in terms of “getting the desired result” or “finishing the job” in the shortest possible time, with minimum wasted resources.
- Efficiency is the optimization of all resources to achieve the best results.
Our efficiency depends on how well we recognize and respond to both internal and external factors.
- Things like interruptions, distractions, mistakes, mental and physical fatigue, or lack of experience, or expertise can cause us to lose focus.
Our unrealistic assumptions can occasionally keep us from making good decisions.
- We race to meet a deadline, become distracted, lose focus, consume our resources unwisely, and then complete the task before the deadline – but with significant errors.
- We’ve got lots of room for improvement.
- With the constant deadlines we face it’s a lot easier said than done.
Speed and efficiency are separate elements, but when properly blended they are an unstoppable combination. Finding that balance is the challenge.
Efficiency is a very important skill for everyone to have, but is especially vital in a leader. In fact, it is overlooked more than any other skill.
- The first thing you have to do is to identify which practices within an organization are inefficient and replace them with effective practices.
- Then you can incorporate the new methods into the everyday workplace to change your team’s thought processes and work habits.
- Use checklists, the latest technology to manage workflow, and generally leveraged resources to your maximum ability.
Re-source: Reflection
If you are efficient, you will notice the following habits and qualities in yourself:
- You search for the most efficient way to achieve a goal without wasting energy by adapting to varying situations, responding to them, and recognizing the factors that affect efficiency.
- You try to avoid excess consumption of resources by recognizing the personal limits that waste them.
- You schedule your day, prioritize every task, and keep those priorities every task, and keep those priorities by refining to-do lists frequently and adopting a policy of strict time management. You “chunk’ or break your larger projects down into small, easier-to-manage steps.
- You’re an effective time manager with the ability to evaluate and deal with those things that get in the way of achieving your goal, such as self-generated interruptions.
- You maintain an orderly “start up/shut down” routine at the beginning and end of each day to help you remain focused and utilize peak times more efficiently.
- You recognize that time is your most precious, and yet most limited, resource. You can’t buy more of it, and therefore, how efficiently you use it shapes and affects your life.
Know your own limits; keep physically healthy, and maintain a positive mental attitude. After all, the key to efficiency is to complete the job or task on time and successfully, without putting a strain on the rest of your life.
Lookout for inefficiency by
- Controlling personal sources of friction, such as interruptions and distractions
- Continually focus on the process; doing the right thing at the right time.
Adapt a proactive attitude by
- Avoiding multitasking, and learn to say no.
- Delegating tasks to others where appropriate
- Look for ways to improve systems and processes – what people do and how they do it – and improve productivity by focusing on getting things done correctly the first time instead of just getting them done cheaply and quickly.
- Ensure that resources – such as personnel and material – are being effectively utilized.
The goal is to get the same results with less input or better results with the same input.
craving and resource from “Surviving Your Serengeti” by Stefan Swanepoel
