Efficiency vs Effectiveness
The 2 pillars of productivity
In the search for methods and systems to improve productivity, I’ve noticed that practically every possible productivity trick, hack, or routine all fall into one of two categories – efficiency or effectiveness.
This article explains what each is all about, and where we should be focusing our attention on improving.
Efficiency
We can define efficiency as the rate of task completion.
The faster we can get a piece of work done, the more efficient we are.
Rate of task completion = Working speed × Time spent working
Most productivity methods that aim to improve efficiency aim to solve one of the above two variables.
Working speed – The output produced per unit of time input. Ideally something trackable (E.g., words written, graphics designed, pages read).
Time spent working – The raw input of time that you actually spent working.
- Work cycles (E.g., Pomodoro method)
- Supplementation (E.g., caffeine)
- Tools (E.g., A.I softwares)
- Working templates
- Music
- Various gadgets
- Building discipline
- Habit-tracking
- Accountability
- Scheduling tasks
- Calendars and to-do lists
- Maintaining health and mental sharpness
The vast majority of productivity and self-improvement content is geared towards improving our efficiency. Think of books like Atomic Habits, or those motivational videos that get millions of views. They all seek to get us to 1) spend more time working, or 2) work at a faster rate.
After all, procrastination and laziness is a perennial human problem. Most of us are not regularly working on ourselves at anywhere near our full capacities. In fact, it’s often easier to work at full-throttle when we’re being held accountable to others – think school, work, etc.
But when it comes to self-accountability, it’s easier to cut corners. That’s why we struggle so much with efficiency. And that’s why it occupies so much of the self-help and productivity content we consume.
However, there’s another element to productivity too.
Effectiveness
Though significantly emphasised, effectiveness is just as much, if not more important than efficiency.
Put simply, effectiveness is the return on effort you get from your work.
People also call this the leverage your work has. It’s how much output (results) you get per unit of work (input).
Most people fixate solely on efficiency, which drives up the input side. But exactly how well that work generates a tangible benefit is often neglected.
There is only one pivotal concept that determines how effective our work is – information.
See, while lethargy and procrastination hinder us from working harder/faster (efficiency), this isn’t the case for effectiveness. You might not feel like working harder. But no one doesn’t want their work to be more effective.
Hence, the only reason we do ineffective work is because of our ignorance. Lack of experience and knowledge prevents us from seeing the bigger picture and choosing the work with the highest yields.
And when it comes to gathering said information, there are two main avenues.
This is where concepts like data analysis come into play. Tracking our performance metrics is critical because it allows us to spot trends, weak points, and the places with the highest ROI.
For instance, an online store might notice that their ads convert much more successfully for people of a certain demographic. With this information, they can make changes to their ad campaigns and target them towards the high-converting groups.
The reason people advocate for having mentors, networking, and choosing your friends wisely is because other people can see things you don’t.
Even when looking at the same situation, or set of data, etc. Having that external perspective chiming in can help you overcome obstacles far quicker. Particularly if these people are experienced and knowledgeable in the field.
Finding guidance from people who are ahead of you is insanely powerful. For the large part, it negates the need for costly trial and error. Which, though admittedly builds substantial character and grit, also extends the time till achievement. Advice from someone who’s ahead can cut that time delay significantly.
Which matters more
Funnily enough, I’ve found that most people who are (by nature or nurture) inclined to be industrious and hard-working, tend to struggle more with effectiveness. And those who are inclined to be witty and practical tend to struggle more with efficiency.
To that end, the world is fair. We all have our short-comings. And though people often encourage us to ‘lean into our strengths’, this might not be the most helpful advice when it comes to trying to raise productivity. Personally, I believe that efficiency and effectiveness each require the other to truly generate a result worth being proud of.