Efficiency
ef·fi·cien·cy
Spending your energy where it actually matters. Efficiency isn't doing more; it's wasting less of yourself.
Another way of seeing it
We often confuse being busy with being efficient. But rushing between tabs, half-finishing five things and answering every ping is the least efficient way to live. The calmest people often get the most done, because they do one thing at a time, properly, and then stop.
In relationships
Respect people's time as much as your own: get to the point, turn up prepared, and end the meeting when it's done.
In the ordinary day
Batch your small tasks today. Answer all your messages in one sitting, then close them, and give the next hour to one thing only.
A question to sit with
Where are you busy without actually moving forward?
Carry this with you
Less rushing. More finishing.
Where it comes from
From the Latin efficere, to bring about or accomplish. Efficiency was first about actually getting something done, not about speed.
Try this today
Batch your messages into one sitting, then give an hour to one thing only.
Journal prompts for Efficiency
- Where am I busy without moving forward?
- What drained my energy today that didn't need to?
- What would one focused hour look like tomorrow?
Did this word resonate with you today?
Know someone who might need this word?