Efficiency...that's the goal

One of the best things I learned from Dr. Kelly Chandler-Olcott is the art of mastering efficiency. With much to do, more to come, and not enough time in the day, one has to find the most effective use of time. I thought about this yesteday when I came to a meeting 45 minutes too soon with only a notepad, a pen, and my keys. Suddenly, I was faced with the fact that I was unprepared for the moment and traveling back to my office would not be the greatest use of time. Yet, tapping itno 45-minutes of unplanned free time could be a blessing. I scanned the vicinity and saw a desktop computer at a desk with no one on it. I thought, "hmmm, I could get ahead on tomorrow's post (which will look like I wrote it today), and not have to think about it tonight when I get home). In this sense, the availability of a stray computer, quick thinking, and, well, efficiency, worked to my favor like the use of a tool kit. One is lucky to have such devices around.

This semester, I've felt rather inefficient with my time and plans of action, because I've taken on more than is humanly possible, and in year three, have more individuals trying to contact me to take on additional tasks. It can't be done. There's no way, either, that any single individual can accomplish much without relying on a community of others. For this reason, I need to be more efficient at collaborating in shared responsibilities rather than single-handedly trying to solve world problems alone.

I need to become the utility knife with multiple tools readily available for any situation. This requires knowing who around me can cut, can slice, can tweeze, can screw, can open, can saw, can stab, and can jimmie. Perhaps that is leadership - a quality I wish I had more efficiency with. Maybe I need to spend a year being more perceptive of how others lead (I've had good role models and bad ones. I've learned from The Apprentice, too).

Hmmm. Efficiency. It's a good word and, I guess, I'm thankful that for this minute, anyway, I found efficient use of my time and I can scratch this off my to do list.