From Chapter 13 “Efficiency” in Ingredients of Outliers. Food For Thought I'm sure you've noticed some recurring themes: Put it in writing, use a checklist, press on when you feel like quitting, and stay positive-- it will work, you will learn, and you will have fun! It's much easier to be efficient when you're having fun. When you're no having fun, change your course or change your perspective. In Other Words The most efficient way to live reasonably is every morning to make a plan of one’s day and every night to examine the results obtained. ~ Alexis Carrel There is never … [Read more...]
Efficiency = Growth and Success
From Chapter 13 “Efficiency” in Ingredients of Outliers. How Sweet it Is The concept of “efficiency” certainly isn’t new. There’s another giant company where efficiency is a primary goal, a company that’s been around quite a bit longer than Amazon. In fact, the seeds that grew to become Mars, Incorporated were planted in the late nineteenth century in the kitchen of a home in Hancock, Minnesota. It was there that Alva Mars began teaching her young son, Franklin, how to hand-dip candy. Franklin, who became better known as Frank, proved to be a good student and, in 1902, when he was … [Read more...]
Create S.M.A.R.T. Goals
From Chapter 13 “Efficiency” in Ingredients of Outliers. Put It in Writing One of the best ways to become more efficient in every area of your life is to set goals for yourself. I’m not talking about pipe dreams or bucket lists or wish lists. I’m talking about what are known as S.M.A.R.T. goals, goals which are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. And they must be written goals. As well-known speaker, consultant, and author Tom Hopkins advises: “An unwritten want is a wish, a dream, a never-happen. The day you put your goal in writing is the day it becomes a … [Read more...]
A Difference Between Efficiency and Effectiveness
From Chapter 13 “Efficiency” in Ingredients of Outliers. A Better Way Let’s take a closer look at exactly what we mean by “efficiency,” which is sometimes confused with the word “effectiveness.” Both words are used frequently in the management literature, and some dictionaries even show each as a synonym of the other. In fact, they have separate meanings. Probably the most succinct statement about their difference came from the late Peter Drucker, the best known and most respected management consultant, educator and author of the twentieth century. Here’s what he said: “Efficiency is … [Read more...]
Efficiency—How to be as Productive as Possible
From Chapter 13 “Efficiency” in Ingredients of Outliers. Have you ever met people who just seem to get more done in the day than everyone else? They never seem harried or stressed, or even busy. Yet their output is over the top. They must know something the rest of the world doesn’t about efficiency—how to be as productive as possible, given the time and resources available. For example, how is it that Theodore Roosevelt accomplished so much during his relatively brief lifetime? He died in 1919 at age 59—long before the Age of Technology—but his record clearly reveals a man who was ahead … [Read more...]
Imperturbability- Staying Calm
From Chapter 6, "Imperturbability- Staying Calm" in Ingredients of Outliers In this age of technology and instant everything, which arrived with visions and promises of greater efficiency and effectiveness, we were assured that by now we’d be enjoying lives of greater leisure and pleasure than ever before. Instead, stress levels are sky- high as we collectively bemoan the gloom and doom that awaits our children and grandchildren. Do you know anyone who hasn’t stated, “Oh, my Gosh, I am so stressed!”? It seems as though Uncle Sam, the once tall and proud symbol of our nation, has … [Read more...]