EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS WORK IN TANDEM

EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS WORK IN TANDEM

Without effectiveness, we lack direction drift away from the priorities, and become busy without accomplishing the 20% of the tasks that represent 80% of the value. On the other hand, without efficiency we experience the frustration of knowing exactly where we want to go, but see little progress in that direction.

 

INFRINGING ON SLEEP TIME CAN BE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE

According to an article in Bayprint Impressions, decreasing sleep time by as little as 1.3 to 1.5 hours for just one night reduces daytime alertness by 32 percent. People who get less than six hours of sleep per night have a 70 percent higher mortality rate than those who get seven or eight hours a night.

RECOGNIZE THAT YOU CAN'T DO EVERYTHING

Your in-basket, voice mailbox and e-mail in-box will all be full of unanswered items the day you die. So don't try to do more things, simply do more important things. Pursue the meaningful goals that you have identified, scheduled and acted upon and let those trivial things fall through the cracks. Strive for significance over speed and quality over quantity.

 

 

TRIM YOUR TO DO LIST

There is a big difference between things that should be done and things that must be done. For example, we should clean out the junk drawer, shop for a new car and have dinner with the Smiths. But what are the consequences of doing none of these things? Probably very little. Be ruthless when deciding what should be done. There isn't time for everything.

TAKE TIME TO LISTEN

There is no greater way of displaying kindness and respect than listening attentively to what people have to say. Someone once placed an ad in a mid-western state's newspaper to the effect that they would listen to anyone for twenty minutes without interrupting for five dollars (this was before inflation.) They were deluged with phone calls.

CHINESE PROVERB

If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed.