For many years, I was obsessed with efficiency. How can I get the most done in the shortest amount of time possible was my constant refrain. Little did I realize that my definition of efficiency was subpar.
Like a lot of people, what I was trying to do was to maximize time efficiency. Unfortunately, time efficiency is quite shortsighted in nature.
For example, let’s say I sprint very quickly from point A to point B. I maximized my time efficiency in getting from point A to point B. But if the sprinting tires me out and leaves me unable to do anything for the rest of the day, it was not truly efficient.
Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Sprinting is good for short bursts. But if we want lasting staying power, if we want to show up for every day full of vigor, we need to optimize for a different efficiency.
The solution is to focus on energy efficiency. The gauge for energy efficiency is how tired do I feel after doing an activity. The less tired I feel, the better my efficiency.
By maximizing energy efficiency, I can work for much longer without tiring myself out. Not only that, I enjoy every activity more since I’m not trying to pressure myself into finishing it as quickly as possible.
The change in focus from time efficiency to energy efficiency has been really impactful for me. Hope it does the same for you.