Rushing through work is one of the worst things you can do. It’s like eating too fast – it might seem like you’ve finished, but your body ends up full of problems and unprocessed food, leading to sickness. Don’t judge how quickly you’re working by how little time you spend; instead, measure it by how much progress you make. Think of it like a race: taking big, dramatic strides doesn’t make you faster. It’s steady, focused movement that gets you to the finish line.
Some people rush things just so they look quick and efficient. They cut corners and create fake “end points” just to show off. But there’s a difference between making things shorter by condensing them properly and hacking off important pieces. Handling work in a rushed, stop-and-start way usually makes progress wobble – you’ll end up going back and forth, undoing what you did earlier. I once knew a wise man who would say, “Hold on a bit, so we can finish sooner.” Sometimes, slowing down to think carefully is the quickest way to get a job done.
On the other hand, real efficiency is incredibly valuable because time in business is like money. If you’re slow, it costs you. The Spartans and the Spaniards were infamous for being slow – a Spanish proverb even says, “May my death come from Spain,” because it would take so long to arrive.
When someone brings you information about work, let them speak freely at first. Guide them early, but don’t keep interrupting. If you stop someone mid-flow, they’ll get confused, waste time trying to remember where they were, and ramble more than they would’ve otherwise. Sometimes the person in charge of guiding the conversation causes more problems than the person doing the talking.
Repeating things unnecessarily wastes time. However, one smart way to save time is to repeat the main question or problem clearly and often. It stops people from wandering off-topic or saying pointless things. Long, fancy speeches are terrible for getting things done. They’re as helpful as running a race with your shoelaces tied together. And introductions, apologies, and unnecessary side comments are often just for show, not humility. Even though they seem polite, they waste time.
That said, when you’re dealing with people who are stubborn or difficult, sometimes you do need a softer approach. Giving their mind a little preparation – like warming something up before you apply a treatment – can help them be more open to your ideas.
The most important thing for efficiency is organization. Break the work into clear parts, but don’t overdo it. If you divide things too little, you’ll never get anywhere. If you split them into too many tiny pieces, you’ll get stuck. Picking the right time to act saves time; trying to move forward at the wrong moment is a waste of energy.
There are three parts to getting work done: preparation, debate (or discussion), and finalizing. If you want to be efficient, keep the middle part – the debate – for the whole team, but let only a few people handle preparation and final decisions. Starting work with something written down often speeds things up. Even if the team rejects it completely, knowing what not to do can give you clearer direction. It’s like ashes – even though they’re leftovers, they’re still more useful than dust.
Bacon Blueprint 