WOW Word-Of-the-Week #499: Efficient

February 27, 2014 by  

Efficient – accomplishing a task or project with the least amount of time or effort.

 Do you think about how you can save time and effort when it comes to completing tasks or projects? When you are driving do you plan how you can get to your destination the fastest way? Do you take surface streets if you know it will be faster than the freeway? Or take a longer route to avoid traffic because it will be quicker?

When I was thinking of a WOW that would best describe me Efficient is one of the words that came to my mind. I hate wasting time! I am probably a little obsessive about it. I don’t take my car out of the garage for one errand. If I am going to go out I plan the order of each stop that will be the most efficient way to accomplish my tasks.

I found a couple of great quotes on being efficient in an article on Bloomberg Businessweek Lifestyle titled, Six Time-Saving Business Tips.

NO FREE LUNCHES – “I do business breakfasts instead of lunches. Breakfasts are often 45 minutes: a lunch takes an a efficienthour. It also helps keep the day flowing without interruption. During lunch, I usually eat at my desk and catch up on reading or e-mail.” – Niraj Shah, CEO and co-founder, Wayfair.com

BAN VOICE MAIL – “We all have high-maintenance friends and associates. I encourage mine to not leave voice mails, and I’ll instead return missed calls. I also minimize texts and e-mails, because calling is a better way of getting timely decisions.” – Michael McCann, President, McCann Protective Services

Amen to Michael! I totally agree with him. I think phone calls are a much better form of communication when decisions need to be made or I am collaborating on a project. My experience is that people don’t read; they scan. So they don’t fully comprehend.

This week’s focus is on being efficient. Do you feel you accomplish tasks or projects with the least amount of time or effort needed? Do you spend time making a plan on how you will accomplish a goal? What could you do differently that would help you to be more efficient?

 

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