Do you know the difference between being effective and being efficient? It can get confusing with those terms sometimes, right? Understanding what the difference is between being effective and efficient can also help you allocate your resources more wisely and work more productively.
With almost any project you are taking on, you may ask yourself:
- Is it more important to be effective or efficient?
- Is there one you should choose over the other?
- What is the best use of your time – an efficient or effective working style?
Ok, let’s break it down and look at some definitions first:
Definitions
According to dictionary.com:
- Effective (adj.) – Adequate to accomplish a purpose; producing the intended or expected result.
- Efficient (adj.) – Performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort.
And I could not write a post about this subject without citing management consultant Peter Drucker who summed up the difference between effectiveness and efficiency succinctly: ”Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.”
Examples
If you choose efficiency over effectiveness, you…
✔️ … finish a task asap.
✔️ … don’t consider if the approach you are choosing is appropriate.
✔️ … don’t consider if the task is worth getting done.
If you choose effectiveness over efficiency, you…
✔️ … (may) tend to procrastinate.
✔️ … have the bigger picture in mind.
✔️ … work more sustainably.
Summary
You can’t be both effective and efficient at the same time. But you can choose to evaluate what is the right approach (or order) for a given task. In general, thinking about if you are doing “the right thing” (aka, effectiveness) should come first.
Because what is the point of doing “things efficiently and very well, if they are not relevant to your purpose they will not help you”? (Douglas Goldstein) “But, once you know what you need to do (effectiveness), you can work on improving your skills in order to master the task at hand (efficiency).”
This applies to tidying, emails, the projects you choose to take on, any and all kinds of work you do.
Did you know the difference between efficiency and effectiveness? If not, did this post help clear things up a bit for you? Let me know in the comments below!
(Lisa Tselebidis is a professional organizer and KonMari certified consultant offering in-home services in the NYC, New York-area as well as virtual services worldwide. Get in touch with her here.)
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