Being efficient....

From talking with my brother Thomas, I've started to realize the incredible importance of efficiency. I realize this is kind of a vague question, but does anyone have any tips on improving your efficiency, in general?

Thanks,

- Dien

Hi,

The keys to efficiency (in order of importance)~

* Being sane (in other words, not addicted to drugs [or sex, or TV], not fighting personal demons, not fighting depression)

* Working toward the optimum goal

* Expertise, so you can do the job without studying first

* A flow chart, made in advance (thanks to Michael Ross for getting me interested in flow charts)

That's pretty much it (am I a genius or what).

Hope this helps and just my two cents.

Best,

-Boyd

Hi Boyd,

> The keys to efficiency (in order of
> importance)~

> * Being sane (in other words, not addicted
> to drugs [or sex, or TV], not fighting
> personal demons, not fighting depression)

I agree, this is certainly true....

> * Working toward the optimum goal

> * Expertise, so you can do the job without
> studying first

> * A flow chart, made in advance (thanks to
> Michael Ross for getting me interested in
> flow charts)

I agree.... Michael Ross really knows his stuff! He's truly one of the best entrepreneurial and business experts online (along with Gordon and a few others of course).... :)

He makes great, and very practical, suggestions....

> That's pretty much it (am I a genius or
> what).

I don't think there's any question.... :)

I was talking about this with my brother Thomas.... One thing that came up in our discussion, was the point that Henry Ford's BIG idea (or the idea of his advisors, I'm not sure which) was the assembly line. When you think about it, this is nothing but an innovation in EFFICIENCY....

Ford leaped to the front of the automobile business because he was more efficient than everyone else. ("You can have any color car you want, as long as it's black!" So it clearly wan't customer service....)

When you are more efficient, it means that in general, you have lower costs per item you produce (or per amount of time you spend). This means higher profits for you, and/or it could mean you can offer lower prices which could help you sell more products....

Henry Ford's leap in efficiency brought the automobile to the masses....

And personal efficiency is important too....

Thanks Boyd for your thoughts.... :)

- Dien

Go thru your to do list and with each item, ask
"is this going to make me cash?"

The Key to Efficiency is to Realize that You CAN'T be efficient Without the Mission...

Dien,

The key to efficiency (IMHO) is to stop relying on YOUR ability to be efficient.

You can get distracted, you can start to drink, you may get sick...

Clearly defined Mission, desire to be a part of something Big is the Key.

What's your Mission?

To get a better/comfortable lifestyle can't be a mission.

To make a million for yourself can't be a mission.

Hundreds of CEOs were asked to fill in the blank in this question/exclamation:

"If only I had known...(blank)... 25 years ago!"

One of them answered:
"I wish somebody had explained the importance of a mission statement to me...".

Your Mission will give you strength and efficiency.

Simon

Hi Simon,

Thanks.... That's a great point....

> Hundreds of CEOs were asked to fill in the
> blank in this question/exclamation:

> "If only I had known...(blank)... 25
> years ago!"

> One of them answered:
> "I wish somebody had explained the
> importance of a mission statement to
> me...".

> Your Mission will give you strength and
> efficiency.

Thanks, this is good advice.... I agree in the importance of a mission statement. I've written up several in the past.... :) It helps you to focus on what it is you're there for....

Thanks for the reminder, and that quote is a real eye-opener! :)

- Dien

The first step in learning how to be efficient is to understand efficiency. So here, in no particular order, is the ramblings of my mind on the topic of efficiency. :)

So, what is efficiency?

As I see it, increased efficiency is basically all about more for less. Producing $10 worth of stock for only $4, instead of $5. More sales, lower costs, that whole deal.

Is it important? You bet it is! Efficiency is one of the key factors that effects how you rate against your competition. Not only will efficiency in an organisation reduce your costs, but that reduced costs will allow you the luxury of lowering prices in order to attract more sales.

Look at Ford's assembly line -- a pure increase in efficiency that did wonders for him, and propelled him past the competition.

I'll give another general example of why efficiency is important.

If you're in a competitive market, and everybody is selling ITEM A for $100, and it's costing them all $98 to make it, then if you're not efficient, that ITEM A might cost you $102 to make.

Efficiency lowers your costs, and lower costs means higher profits. And that interests me, and it probably interests you.

So, we now know effiency is important... for revenue, speed, profits, the whole works. But where to from here?

I think it's good to focus on the different TYPES of efficiency there are. In my mind, I've broken it down into two major categories -- Labour Efficiency & Technological Efficiency.

First - Labour Efficiency.

This idea mainly relates to people building organisations with employees or partners or other outside labour sources. It's the idea that people function better as a specialist rather than a generalist.

I'll give you an example from my Distributions company.

I recently bought a van to make deliveries in, and it's a manual van. I can't drive a manual van, as I only have a license to drive automatic vehicles. Someone suggested that I get my manual license in order to drive the van and make deliveries and cut costs.

My view on this is that I shouldn't, but it would be better to hire a driver to do that 2-3 times per week.

Why?

Because of efficiency.

Let's say on average if I do deliveries every now and again, combined with the other activities I do, I might do 2 deliveries per hour.

A driver, after a week or two of doing it, is more inclined to become specialised in that area as they learn where the different customers are and the different roads to take.

The driver is becoming specialised, and you'd expect the delivery times to drop, and EFFICIENCY to increase.

What's that mean? Basically it means more deliveries are done per day, so the cost per delivery (as measured by the driver wage) is decreased, and my profits increase.

Labour efficiency in practice.

So the other type? Technological efficiency!

That's where you increase your technology in some way in order to produce more for less, provided the increased output justifies the cost.

Here's another example, also from my Distributions company.

In my warehouse, we have a lot of different products stacked up in different areas, and when putting together an order, we pick them up, move them towards the van, number them, and load them in.

I saw "Cast Away" the other night and noticed Fed Ex in the movie used those roller things you find at airports to put boxes on and move along, which gave me the idea of getting one.

Now, to most people such an idea is a strange one -- and most people will remark, "C'mon, it's not that hard to move boxes to the van" or "What a waste of money!"

I take a different stance.

I look at such a device as an improvement in technological efficiency, as whoever is packing boxes doesn't need to lift them as quickly, won't get tired as easily, and most of the distance it can just be rolled along.

So what's the benefit? I would expect a time saving on packing boxes, and that translates into a cash saving when you convert the time saving into the hourly wage of the person packing boxes.

So do I invest in this technological benefit? Well, depends on how big the cost saving is compared to the cost -- I'd do a Net Present Value calculation (it's in a previous post somewhere), and make my decision from there.

Other examples of technological efficiency are -- using accounting software, using a van to deliver rather than a small car, buying faster computers.

So there are the two broad types of efficiency as I see it. As Managing Director of my own company, I view one of my KEY responsibilities to always look for ways to improve EFFICIENCY.

As I know EFFICIENCY effects the bottom line, and in my view is essential.

Now, I've mainly spoken about efficiency from an organisational standpoint -- how to increase efficiency in an overall system.

Some of you would be more interested in increasing PERSONAL EFFICIENCY -- that is, how do organise your own life better, to not waste time, and so forth.

As for that topic, I'm no expert on it. :) So I think I will leave someone else to post their ideas and insights.

- Thomas. :)

I thought I might add to my post by talking about internet efficiency.

Over the past few years as the internet has grown into a widely used and respected medium for accessing information, the growth in web-based businesses has been tremendous.

Wall St has seen a flurry of internet IPO's, hoping to mimic the success of the huge success stories like yahoo.com, with many crashing down in the early part of last year.

The reason the internet is such an exciting thing is that, if used correctly, the internet is a brilliant ENABLING TECHNOLOGY that can be used to increase efficiency.

Let's take real estate as an example.

Let's say I'm a would-be property investor, looking for an investment property, and I've decided I want to limit myself to Australia.

Without the internet, I'd have to go to one real estate agent, look at their list, then to another, and so forth -- a very time-consuming process!

With the internet, such sites like www.realestate.com.au enable me to look at many properties at once, and cut down the list of potential investments quickly and correctly using advanced searches.

In short, I see a cost saving, and thus it is more efficient for me.

From the real estate agent's point of view, it is also more efficient. More people can view the properties they have for sale, without taking the time of sales people. Why is that important? Because sales people cost money, a lot more than a website does.

That's why there are so many call centres now. Technology often replaces people. Whether you view that as good or bad is another issue.

So, in my view, the very successful internet businesses will be ones that seek to increase the efficiency in a particular area over the offline counterpart.

This could be hooking up suppliers to retailers efficiently. Or perhaps offering directory services for your area, so overseas people can more easily look for them. The possibilites are endless.

Regards,

Thomas. :)

Well, I tried to find the lyrics to the old song, but it would appear they aren't available online. And seeing as I'm going by memory, I could be wrong.

Anyway. The song, I believe, was from "Half a sixpence", All in the cause of economy. But the lines I'm recalling are, "System, Efficiency, Economy". So if those lines are in that song, then that's it.

System, Efficiency, Economy.

Thomas, you wrote,

> Now, I've mainly spoken about efficiency
> from an organisational standpoint -- how to
> increase efficiency in an overall system.

And I've highlighted System because that, I believe, is THE KEY.

Plans and Mission Statements are useless, for most people. They become, GONNA DO things, not MUST DO things.

The most efficient thing there is, is a system. The same thing the same way, every time. Work out by forethought, implimentation of the thought, and re-adjustment along the way.

And the funny thing is, it's around us everwhere, everyday.

How do you get dressed? Left leg first or right leg? It's automatic... an automatic system of dressing... which enables you to dress without thought and in the most efficient way, for you.

Everone's walk is as individual as their fingerprints. Why? It's what's most efficient, for them.

And when they walk, their body follows a system... a set of procedures... over and over again. The same way, every time... like a computer program.

What's the most efficient way for your driver to get to a client? Who can say? It probably depends on the time of day. And the driver would know that, deep down. So when 2pm comes around, instead of going the usual way he'll go the other way. If he forgets and gets caught in traffic he'll likely curse himself and say "I knew it."

Someone walks into a store. The system (procedure) kicks in...

Approach customer
Speak to customer (insert tested line here)
Etc.
Etc.

Our body gets a bug. The system (procedure) kicks in...

1: Work our what type of bug it is.
2: Crude bug destroyers kill bug, and everything else around while...
2a: Find appropriate anti-that-bug-T-cell takes place and chemical is released in body which calls for reinforcements and makes us feel ill (yes our bodies make us feel ill, it's the result of the reinforcement calling chemical)
3: Increae internal body temp so...
3a: Bugs find it harder to multiply while manufacture of appropriate T-Cell in limph glands is increased (that's why limphs swell).
4: Release appropriate T-cells in one hit killing the bug.

The same way, everytime.

Want to be more efficient in your personal life... develop a system/procedure/habit WITHOUT going against the grain.

Time Management... baloney. Your brain manages your times perfectly for the designated order of preference you REALLY want.

If you know you must make that call, but find other things to do, it's because you don't really want to make the call.

Can't handle the rejection the call might result in?

Garbage. You've had sex haven't you? You seemed to get over the fear of talking to a girl, and the risk of catching girl germs, without too much trouble.

You can drive can't you? You seemed to be able to come to terms with operating the most dangerous weapon known to man, without too much trouble.

Most people here know that in my younger days I owned a Window Cleaning business - yes I was the guy hanging outside your window in the 40th floor.

When I first picked up the gear I was hopeless. But, I developed a system... a procedure... a set series of moves. Even with that "system" I was slow. BUT, after a while, the system ingrained into my mind and muscles. Speed increased, naturally. That is, I was able to cycle through the system faster. The system/procedure stayed the same... I merely replayed it faster and faster and faster. And it was the fastest system possible... for me.

You've heard tennis commentators talk about anticipation. What is it, really?

It's nothing more than a series of "If this, then this" cycles in your head. All based on experience.

From experience the tennis players know that when the opponent's body is in a certain position and the raquet is in a certain position and the ball is in a certain position, then the hit will most likely send the ball in a certain direction. They then begin to move - before the ball's been hit. (IF body like this and IF ball like this and IF raquet like this, then move there.)

The greater the experience the player has, the greater their anticipation will be. And it all happens naturally. A smooth efficient system for determining where the ball will be without conscious thought.

Experience. Adjust. Experience. Adjust. Until the system is right, for you.

And that's another big part of it... it must match you.

Gordon mentioned this with regards to golf. Only Jack can hit the ball like Jack. Only Tiger can hit the ball like Tiger.

Hit the ball.

Hit the ball again.

Hit it further.

Remember THAT post.

What was the original question again? :o)

You all know I'm big on Checklists. A checklist being a list of MUST DO things and not INTEND TO DO. Whether you go through your checklist in order or out of order doesn't really matter. As long as it is all gone through. Of course, certain things in a checklist must happen first - like creating a file to store your list - and certain things must happen last - like accepting the money. The order the rest gets done in is more flexible, as long as it gets done your project will still work.

But it's an individual thing. My list and yours would look different for the same thing. As would my pictogrigm. But you'll find, that while ours will look different, all of yours will look like yours and my will look like mine. Because that's what we've found will work, for us.

Everybody is wrong. And everybody is right. Sound familiar?

Some could say, writing to discussion boards is inefficient and there are better things to do with your time. And they are right, from their point of view. From my point of view, my brain has prioritised my schedule according to what I TRULY WANT TO DO and made it as efficient as can be.

It doesn't matter what I SHOULD or SHOULDN'T do. It's all about what I TRULY WANT TO DO.

If you find yourself not doing the things you know you should, it's cause you don't truly want to do them. Simple.

Accept it for the fact it is. Don't punish yourself. Know it. Accept it. Move on.

Don't want to make that call? Then don't. Do something else.

Don't want to knock on that door? Then don't. Do something else.

Don't want to buy something at a garage sale and put it in a consignment store? Then don't. Do something else.

We are controlled by our WANTS. If you WANT one thing more than another, then your brain will work out the most efficient way for you.

Remember, you can't fool your brain. It knows. So if you don't make that call, or knock on that door, or whatever, then listen to what your brain is telling you. And even ask WHY.

Why won't you make that call? Why really?

Cause you truly don't want what that call could bring you? Forget fears, rejections, etc. It's all a smoke screen to justify, or in some way condone. Because it's maybe hard to admit that you don't want success as badly as you think you do.

You cannot fool your brain.

It knows. And it creates the most efficient routine for you based on your TRUE WANTS.

Gee this is getting long...

In the RH forum I posted about my Wild Ride. Why did I take that ride? Because I WANTED to do that more than other things I COULD have done.

Whatever. Hope this helps. Somehow. :o)

Michael Ross.

Hi Michael,

I could relate to your post.... The importance of a system....

As you've said elsewhere, you have to crawl before you can walk.... I guess some of the trouble is, some people give up if when they swing the club, they don't start out hitting the ball like Tiger Woods....

However, as you said, with experience your system will improve and become more efficient!

> Can't handle the rejection the call might
> result in?

> Garbage. You've had sex haven't you? You
> seemed to get over the fear of talking to a
> girl, and the risk of catching girl germs,
> without too much trouble.

I think approaching people in many ways is similar (from a male perspective) to approaching a girl to ask her out.... When you're young (at least in my experience), at first you might be very nervous. You're scared of being rejected and humiliated, that she'll turn you down....

But somewhere along the line, you pick up your courage. After a while, your confidence builds, and it becomes easier. You realize that being "rejected" is not as bad as you initially thought it would be (just swallow your pride and move on).... The nervousness may never completely go away, but it's manageable....

Now that I do have some selling experience, I've found the experience is similar....

The first time you try to interest someone in an order, you're at first afraid of being rejected. But after doing this a few times, your confidence builds, and it becomes easier.

You realize that even if they do turn you down, it's not really as bad as you first imagined it would be.... You realize your product is not necessarily for everyone. You just go to the next potential customer....

> Experience. Adjust. Experience. Adjust.
> Until the system is right, for you.

> And that's another big part of it... it must
> match you.

> Gordon mentioned this with regards to golf.
> Only Jack can hit the ball like Jack. Only
> Tiger can hit the ball like Tiger.

> Hit the ball.

> Hit the ball again.

> Hit it further.

> Remember THAT post.

Here's Gordon's post, for those who want to read what he wrote.... :)

Gordon has a lot of wisdom to share, and I'm very grateful for what he's shared, both here, in his products, and in the private Remote Hypnosis / Mailorder Marketing forum....

Gordon's knowledge is not only from his experience in golf instruction, chattel, social work and other activities....

But ALSO as one who was taught directly by two of the greatest mail order marketers of our times, Joe Karbo and Benjamin Suarez.... The chance to learn from someone with these credentials is beyond price!

Add the piercing insights of Jim Straw's Mailorder Business book to the mix, and you have a powerful combination! Click here and follow the links for more details....

By the way, Michael, your latest post in the Remote Hypnosis / Mailorder Marketing forum is also one of the best posts I've ever read! Your strategy to find new business ideas may be the best I've ever come across....

> We are controlled by our WANTS. If you WANT
> one thing more than another, then your brain
> will work out the most efficient way for
> you.

Michael, I was reading some of your other material.... You really share some great stuff!

One thing I could relate to was how motivating fear is.... I've read elsewhere that in fact, fear is a bigger motivator in human psychology than any positive motivations....

You'll do anything to escape something you fear. I've used this idea to help motivate me in the past....

There are always two sides to any thing you want to motivate yourself to do. The positive motivation, what you want, and the negative one, what you want to avoid.... We often just use one, but it's good to utilize both, to motivate yourself to action most effectively....

Those were powerful and effective principles you shared in your post Michael -- thank you! :)

- Dien