The Secret to Maximum Efficiency
Let's cut to the chase here: the secret to maximum efficiency is to move as fast as possible without ever rushing carelessly. Chad Ochocinco used to say a similar thing about running routes: "You have to be patient.....quickly."
Be fast, don't rush.
On the occasions that I've worked closely with trained high performers, be they athletes or artists or academics, I've noticed that they are all slow.
The trained athlete never rushes through their warmup exercises.
The trained artist is tantalizingly patient with their work.
The trained academic will spend ten minutes on a task that might take me two minutes; perhaps they are giving themselves time to think things through and notice irregularities, and perhaps even formatting a table or graph to look nicer even if it's not necessarily ever going to be seen by anyone but themselves.
The end result of all this "slowness" at the micro level is acceleration and efficiency at the macro level, and improved overall performance.
Show me somebody who gets things done at an unbelievable pace and I'll show you somebody whose life probably looks unbearably slow when you actually look at what they're doing on a daily basis.
As many in the military and special forces will tell you:
Slow is steady. Steady is smooth. Smooth is fast.
Slow down, steady your pace, and reach maximum efficiency like you never have before.