Second Cup: Efficiency isn't everything

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is that efficiency isn't everything. Even if there is
a task that could be done cheaply by someone else,

(00:27):
or that theoretically could take less time, if you enjoy it,
feel free to keep doing it, at least some of
the time. The endpoint of efficiency is freeing up time
for tasks you enjoy. If you are already at that
enjoyment step, you are winning at life. So I have

(00:52):
been reading various books lately on how entrepreneurs can free
up time. Many entrepreneurs work very long hours because they
are tackling everything in their businesses. That can be a
problem if people want to eat and sleep and see
their families. I have certainly pondered which tasks I can

(01:14):
get off my plate. I have delegated a great deal
in my business and in my personal life. However, as
I think about this question, I realize that there are
some things I don't want to take off my plate,
even if I can see the argument for doing so.

(01:36):
For instance, I love to hear from readers and listeners
if someone has taken the time to read my work
or listen to my work, and has written me their
thoughts about it. I want to acknowledge that. I want
to share my follow up ideas and hear what the
person thinks about those as well. So I read all

(01:58):
the messages I get from readers and listensteners, and I
respond to about ninety percent of them. Sometimes this can
be time consuming. I recently ran a time tracking challenge
where several thousand people kept track of their time for
a week. Many of those folks then sent me their
time logs afterwards with thoughts on their schedules and their lives.

(02:23):
Studying these time logs and responding to people's questions and
discoveries took at least an hour a day for several weeks.
It was pointed out to me somewhere in here that
I could have created some automatic responses or response templates,
or had somebody else helped me go through all this,
which is totally true. But I love learning about time.

(02:47):
I love seeing how people spend their time. I like
digging through the data so I really understand the choices
that people make. So even if this did take a
lot of time, I was glad to do it. Other
people might make different choices, but reading and responding to

(03:08):
my own messages works for me. Perhaps you, likewise, have
certain work tasks that you enjoy, even if they are
not necessarily the core of your job. Maybe you are
mostly in management, but you enjoy using your technical skills
from time to time. Maybe you are mostly acquiring new

(03:31):
book projects, but you still like editing a few on occasion.
You are mostly designing menus or training restaurant managers, but
you enjoy hopping in during the dinner rush to help out.
Or maybe there are tasks you do that you are
well aware could be done quicker. I can crank out

(03:52):
a blog post or newsletter quickly when I need to,
but sometimes I enjoy carving out extra time, coming back
to the work a few more times to tweak a
phrase or add a new angle. Does anyone notice or care?
Quite possibly not, But I enjoy it, so I do it.

(04:17):
There is no need to go overboard on these things.
We probably shouldn't spend all our time on lower value
tasks when we are responsible for the higher value ones
that pay the bills, but we don't need to offload
them completely either, or do everything at the absolute swiftest
speed efficiency isn't everything. It is a lot, but it

(04:44):
isn't everything. Best to keep it in perspective. In the meantime,
this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

(05:07):
hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook
and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b the number
four then breakfast pod. You can also shoot me an
email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. That

(05:28):
before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks
so much, should I look forward to staying in touch.
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