Efficiency – the Key to Survival in Today’s World

By Pam Nintrup, PMP, CSSMBB, CCP

www.ppprofs.com

Can you afford to waste time, energy or resources?  Maybe if you’re Bernie Madoff.  But, if you find yourself with only 24 hours in a day, run out of that human “gas” called energy after putting in an easy 18-hour day and can’t afford a staff of 200 like Michelle and Barrack have to help them out…then you need to read on.

It’s time to work on your efficiency – everywhere in your life.  In today’s world of pocket technology, it has become difficult, if not impossible for many, to separate work from the rest of our lives.  Leisure time is a true luxury.  Time to have fun, enjoy a hobby, go for a walk, or just read a book is becoming more and more scarce.

We can’t change the number of hours in a day.  We can’t create endless energy, even with Red Bull, and the human engine needs recharging just like anything else that uses energy.  While we may eventually join the ranks of billionaires in the world, it’s not going to happen overnight.

So, what’s the answer?  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked “how do you do it all?”  I’ve also heard comments like “it makes me tired just listening to your day”.  These questions and comments have driven me to write this article which may someday become a book.

Before we dive into the “hows”, here’s a little background to help you understand why my friends and colleagues have encouraged me to share my methods with others.

When I was born… no, that’s too far back.  I was born in the early 50’s – yes, that makes a difference!  My father was a hard-working, blue collar, asbestos worker (yes, they called it that back then before the dangers of asbestos were known) with a proud German heritage.  Mom also came from a hard-working German family.  Their values dictated that Mom should stay home and care for the house and children.  She never worked outside the home after I was born.

The family philosophy was that a woman should prepare through high school for a short administrative career to stay busy until she could marry and have children, thus starting the “career” of caretaker.  College and careers were left to the men in the house.  In our house, there was no talk of college or careers until my brother came along.

I was the first to break the pattern, although probably not in the best way.  I first had my son, a continuing source of pride, then I got married.  When my fiancé got laid off 2 months before our wedding and was unable to find employment, I ended up going to work to support the three of us.  I found that I enjoyed working – being around other adults and contributing to an organization.  Once I realized that my son could thrive in day care (after my husband found employment), I lost my guilt about having a career and family.  I also found I had a thirst for knowledge and enrolled in evening college.  I found I could “do it all”.  My father finally accepted that concept when I was working full-time as a manager at Procter & Gamble, kept my home running smoothly, hosted all the family get-togethers, volunteered for the Red Cross one evening a week, and was carrying a 3.9 GPA at the University of Cincinnati while working a dual major.  While it took me 11 years to get through evening college, I graduated Magna Cum Laude.  Unfortunately, my dad didn’t live long enough to see that day.

So, back to the point…  I believe I am able to do so much in a day because I am driven by my personal vision:  “People are naturally achieving their life successes.”  This vision leads to my mission:  Promoting proficiency to achieve productivity and peak performance.  Thus I am constantly looking for ways to be more efficient.  Why?  Efficiency, ties all these principles together.  Efficiency is the ability to do something well or achieve a desired result without wasted energy or effort and makes productive use of resources.   To apply this to real life, I find you need to do the following:

1. Know and understand all your commitments – this is where you spend your time!
2. Take inventory of your values and goals and compare them to your commitments.
3. Eliminate commitments that don’t align with your values and goals.
4. Prioritize daily to ensure you meet commitments made to yourself and others.
5. Identify ways to better use the resources you have.
6. Capitalize on your strengths and address your weaknesses.
7. Maintain focus throughout your day.
8. Recognize that life will throw little curves your way and flexibility is critical!

In my daily work, I coach and teach people how to be more efficient.  We discuss how to identify the important things in life and how to be successful while balancing their values, goals and commitments.  I’ve found that the eight keys above, if applied with diligence, can lead to a more fulfilling, satisfying and rewarding life both personally and professionally.

So, here’s the challenge… Take 15 minutes, write down every commitment you’ve made to yourself and others – all the one time things as well as the ones that happen regularly.  Now, write down your values and goals (both short and long term) and compare them.  With a critical eye, look at the two lists – do they complement and support each other, or are there things you’ve committed to that don’t match up?  Take action – it’s the only way to regain control and become efficient so that you, too, can “do it all” and do it successfully!

Let me know how it goes:  pnintrup@pprofs.com I’m always happy to help!