Increase Efficiency
Impacts: Mind, Home, Work, Money, Community, Time
“Remember, time is money. He that can earn ten shillings a day by his labour, and goes abroad, or sits idle, one half of that day, though he spends but sixpence during his diversion or idleness, ought not to reckon that the only expense; he has really spent, or rather thrown away, five shillings besides.” – Benjamin Franklin
When you choose to live life strategically you quickly realize that time is not on your side. In fact if you’ve ever taken economics in school one of the first things you learn is that time is our most limited commodity. Once you realize that achieving any goal requires a plan, action, luck and time, you’ve already burned up one of those ingredients and there’s no way to get more of it. Since much of our lives are spent doing things that don’t move us forward, making the most of every moment should be a priority.
As you go through your day take a moment from time to time to ask yourself if what you’re doing is moving you forward. I’m not suggesting that you run yourself ragged being proactive all the time; I’m simply suggesting that you take the occasional reality check. I personally find it useful to kick myself in the butt when I’m slacking off. My usual answer, to myself, is that I’m relaxing, or this is important. Sometimes I give in but lately I’ve been realizing that if I really want to accomplish my goals I need to spend more time moving forward.
Take Action
- As you do necessary work let your mind drift to brainstorming ways of working more efficiently.
- Consider the end goal of every task and the actions required to complete the task. Do only what is needed, cut your own red tape.
- If tasks involve multiple people make an effort to improve communication. Red tape and procedure often surfaces due to a lack of good communication.
