What is efficiency at the workplace?

I'm not an efficiency expert, and I have issues with efficiency in my own life.  This is just a thoughts out loud type of website.  Disclaimer - use at your own risk.  We offer fillers at our office (Surgical Artistry) Telephone (Modesto, CA) 209-551-1888.  We are located in Modesto, CA (2336 Sylvan Ave. Suite C, Modesto, CA 95355).  We offer this webpage as a resource for anyone who is interested.

Having your own medical practice requires one to think about the thoughts of an efficient worker or an efficient doctor or an efficient boss.  These thoughts on this page probably applies to both.

Efficiency in my mind is high output with low input.  Such as a bright light bulb that requires low wattage - the light bulb is bright and doesn't waste energy on heat, vibration and noise or other forms of energy.  Effectiveness is another term that is sometimes bundled with efficiency.  Many people think of effectiveness as being different than efficiency: some describe efficiency as climbing up a ladder quickly, and effectiveness as climbing up the right ladder.  Perhaps this is all a continuum of speed, efficiency, and finally efficiency.  One can be very fast with speed, but not efficient.   I guess this would be analogous to flapping arms quickly between rungs of the ladder.  So there you go, my definitions of speed, efficiency, and effectiveness.

Analogies:  Speed is fast motion.  But can be wasted, such as flapping arms while trying to climb up a ladder.  Efficiency is using speed and channeling it into an urgent and important focus, such as climbing up a ladder.  Effectiveness is climbing up the right ladder.

Climbing up the ladder analogy for speed, efficiency, and effectiveness.

• Speed - a component of efficiency and effectiveness.  But speed can be wasted on "flapping" arms while trying to climb up the ladder.  Boy, those arms are moving fast, but the ascent up the ladder could be slow (thus inefficient).
• Efficiency - getting urgent and important tasks done with ease and speed.  Efficiency can be wasted by climbing up the wrong ladder.  This means working on tasks that aren't the priority.  Urgent and important tasks are very different.  I've copied a grid below that illustrates this.  I think of efficiency as dealing with this time management grid successfully.
• Effectiveness - requires a good amount of speed and efficiency but is right on target with the organization's goals and priorities and also executed with the right amount of accuracy.  This means climbing up the right ladder with great efficiency.

Strive to maximize quadrant 2:  "Quality Time - Important but not urgent". Doing so can reduce the amount of time taken up by firefighting quadrant 1 activities, since many quadrant 1 activities could have been quadrant 2 if they had been done earlier

borrowed from: http://www.teal.org.uk/sv/timemgnt.htm

How to improve upon efficiency (and thus effectiveness) in the workplace

I just started making this website but below are some thoughts that jumped into my head.  The primary purpose of this website was to help me develop out loud while typing in front of my computer, the definition of efficiency.  Items below need to all be expanded.  I'm going to be efficient and say that I've done what I've set out to do, and I've laid down groundwork for some future musings.

Take the time to sharpen the scalpel

• Spend time to make the tools that help in your day. 
• Make time for a To Do list
• Make time to organize.
• Make time to learn a new technology to help with the day's work.

Organize

Prioritize

Make a ToDo List

• Master the place of items in the ToDo list into the a grid such as the one above - separated into urgent/important categories.

Develop quick tempo

Minimize Distractions

Set goals

Know what the goals are for the organization (your company)

Recognize that change occurs

Improve on Focus and Concentration

Practice makes perfect

Develop knowledgebase

Create templates and shortcuts and reduce duplication

Set time limits on trivial activities

Develop problem solving tactics

Learn from mistakes and learn from others

Below are some links from Google... automatically generated, I don't know what shows up:

(209) 551-1888
Located in Modesto, CA - 2336 Sylvan Ave, Suite C, Modesto, CA 95355
Services in Plastic Surgery, Veins, Acupuncture, and General Surgery

email clee [at] surgerytoday.com

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