The Paradox of Efficiency
Optimal Inefficiency is a term I have never heard about.
It is something Edward Tenner discusses in this TedTalk and it was an interesting opinion that some degree of inefficiency should be embraced, celebrated, acknowledged and desired.
The speaker goes on to highlight situations in which hindsight reveals one would have been better off with a bit of redundancy.
For example, Tenner discusses the popularity of the potato as a well-balanced food item. As the popularity of the potato spread across Europe, this monoculture dependency ravaged food production when a fungal disease spread and resulted in famine, particularly in Ireland.
Sure, in the short term, monoculture agriculture optimizes food production processes because the process of harvesting is solely honed for potatoes in this case, but it ultimately was detrimental to the sustainable longevity of food production.
Similarly, Tenner discusses the concept of electronic medical charting. Tenner claims that in the hopes of improving physician writing legibility and medical record-keeping, electronic medical charting was put forth. However, the need to maintain and update electronic medical charting has resulted in a reduction in face-to-face physician interactions, which at times can be deemed counterproductive in the grand scheme of things - since the intention is supposed to be to optimize patient care.
I think it’s a good reminder that some redundancy of tasks and celebration of optimal inefficiencies is important. You may not recognize in the moment the importance of certain inefficiencies but they can be vital to minimizing your risk exposure and you shouldn’t necessarily despise these inefficiencies as much as you want to.
For me, I always wish I could do things faster, better, with increased ease and with less friction. Sometimes, this hinders or limits my excitement or interest in doing tasks or taking on projects that are “a waste of my time” or inefficient projects.
That is the exact mindset that can leave me vulnerable to missing opportunities for growth and development.
So this TedTalk really resonated with me.
That it is okay to be slow or take on inefficient work.
That there are smart ways to accept and embrace and even celebrate slow grinding projects.
That there may be some safety net that inefficiency builds into a system or project that you may not see at first glance.
So the next time something feels inefficient to you. Analyze it. Evaluate it. Maybe it’s there’s a positive or redundant safety net there. But don’t beat yourself up because the inefficiency exists. Grow with it.
