The Danger of Efficiency

Catching up on a few blogs I follow the other day, I found a common theme running through some of them: the quest for efficiency.

Perhaps my greatest flaw, or at least the one obstacle I consistently put in my own way, is the habit of over-scheduling commitments. I put myself in the middle of 3-4 activities at a time while also trying to maintain physical, spiritual, and marital health. I also chase around two young children. All of this motivates me to seek the most efficient way to get things done. My blog reading, however, has made me reconsider. Consider the following:

• One common strategy for efficiency is multitasking. This is not effective. First of all, brain research says the mind is incapable of focusing on two things at once; instead, what we're doing is switching (doing a little of one thing and then a little of another). First of all, it doesn't work: on average people spend 50% more time on the tasks while "switching." Worse yet, it forces our brain into a state of continuous partial attention. We become less able to focus on one thing. This is disastrous for relationships, as we try to talk to one person while texting another, or check email or Facebook while hanging out with the family. It's bad for our relationship with God as well: "We do not want to be efficient worshipers, driven by a desire to get more of God in a shorter amount of time. We do not want to be hurried worshipers who value speed over quality." (See post)
• Our quest for efficiency also often keeps us from being generous. While we usually think of being generous with our money and resources, generosity is also a virtue requiring our energy as well. Instead of being generous with our time and energy and attention, efficiency inspires stinginess. Hurriedly getting through items on a to-do list, for myself anyway, usually makes me much less likely to listen to those I love or to those I am called to serve. (See post)
• Tony Dungy, speaking about his current Bible-reading, referenced I Corinthians 13, what some would call the "love chapter." He said that what stood out to him was "Love is not irritable" (verse 5). We are fundamentally incapable, then, of loving others while being irritable. And the number one way I often get myself into a state of irritability is when I'm interrupted while trying to be efficient with my workload.

Perhaps efficiency isn't all it's cracked up to be. Writes Matt Perman, "Make it your first priority to seek that which serves others and benefits them; let efficiency be the second consideration, not the first."