Efficiency Through Leverage

Andrew Taylor writes:

I have a definition for "Efficiency" which is similar to the formula used in Physics.

The definition is -- Getting the most done with the least amount of effort, even if this means something or someone else doing it for you.

The example I use to teach this definition is:

A Managing Director wishes to send out a personal end of year letter to all 500 company employees and sits down at a typewriter and types up all of the letters himself. It takes him 30 minutes per letter thus taking 250 hours at a value per hour of £35. Total cost £8750

The next year the Managing Director has employed a personal Assistant and they are given the task of typing up the letters. The personal assistant is a touch typist and spends just 3 minutes per letter thus taking 12.5 hours at a value per hour of £15. Total cost 187.5

The next year the Personal Assistant has the use of a computer and a laser printer. The personal assistant types up a mail merge letter in 3 minutes and spend 30 seconds entering the contact details into a spreadsheet for use with the mail merge and printing out the letter thus taking 4.2 hours at a value per hour of £15. Total cost 63.25.

We may wish to do the job ourselves but we should always ask if this is the best use our time and energy, or should we be asking others to who are better at the task than us and have the tools to do the task quicker than we can.

The old adage "Time is money" still holds true, even in cyberspace.