I’m glad you landed here today. I think I have something interesting to say. I invite you to do some deep thinking with me.
1. Efficiency was never meant for human beings.
2. Efficiency robs the joy of good work, rest, and play.
3. God is not efficient.
And here’s why. Let’s start with a preface and some definitions for sake of clarity.
The intention of this post is to challenge the construct of efficiency and its role in Western society. I’m not here to moralize. If you consider yourself highly efficient or if you work for management in Corporate America, you might struggle with this. I beg of you, read slow and with an open heart.
Efficiency: (especially of a system or machine) achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense.
Hear me on this: efficiency is different than productivity.
Productivity: the effectiveness of productive effort, as measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input.
Good work is productive, in some capacity.
You can be productive without being efficient.
You cannot be efficient without achieving maximum productivity with minimum expenditure.
Check out that definition of efficiency again.
The problem with efficiency is that a human being is not a system, nor a machine. By measuring human beings by their capacity to achieve maximum productivity at minimum expenditure (wasted or not), we risk marring the art of humanity over something far less precious.
I found a solid quote on the internet to further explain what I mean by this:
“Efficiency is a technical, not a human-oriented concept. It has to do with input-output ratios, such as miles per gallon and cost per square foot, rather than with human values like care, consideration, and responsibility; or even just ‘good’ and ‘bad’ work. Efficiency belongs with engineering and technology. Asking how to make work more efficient is the wrong question. The right questions are, ‘what is good work’ and ‘are we doing it’. When you use efficiency in the wrong context, as a guide human action, there is a real risk that, possessed by a technical frame of mind, you lose sight of people – human beings: both those doing the work and those for whom the work is being done.” Resource
In my own words…
We are human beings, not human doings. We were never created to be efficient. When we measure our worth by our ability to achieve maximum output with minimum expense, our identity and security is contingent on measurable effectiveness and results. Work, rest, and play loses its joy factor. People become commodities: bought, sold, and traded. Time and money become ultimate. Human connection is strained. We become less human.
Let’s explore this further.
Meet the cringe-worthy skeleton of my past… my alter-ego named, Efficiency.
(Praise God she has been dealt with!)
- Efficiency is a strong, independent, single woman. She has a strong, professional skill set. In order to be considered great in her field, she must dedicate her heart and soul to the trade. She has never entered into a serious romantic relationship because “ain’t nobody got time for that.” She is quick to make judgements about men worth her time and energy. Who wants to waste effort on another broken heart?
- Efficiency texts, drives, sips chai lattes, maps directions, and carries on a conversation simultaneously. She is fully aware that she is putting herself and others at risk.
- Efficiency skips meals and tries diet pills, because she gained a few pounds. “It’s only for a season.”
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Efficiency is running late again and has no time to brew her own coffee, so she’ll pick one up on the way. She also forgot her lunch again, so she’ll grab some fast food and just eat in her car on the way to her next meeting.
- Efficiency withholds a generous tip from the waiter because he was inattentive, grumpy, and slow.
- Efficiency skims the required reading, just enough to B.S. the paper. The test is open-book anyway. Efficiency is also considering skipping the class altogether because she has more important tasks to complete. The class is big, so nobody will notice.
- Efficiency rarely sits down to eat lunch with her coworkers because she could spend the hour running errands and grading assignments. God forbid, she stays at school past contracted time today.
- Efficiency is too tired for church again. A podcast will do.
You probably get the point by now…
Driven by data and obsessed with results, efficiency will never satisfy our deepest longing to belong to something greater. When we internalize efficiency, we become less human. We start to look like a machine, calculating and reacting, rather than responding to life around us.
Don’t just take my word for it. Let’s look to the bible.
Does God strive for maximum results with minimum expense? Is he overly cautious to not waste effort?
YAHWEH?… NO WAY! (Couldn’t resist the pun.)
God is not efficient.
This is certainly not blasphemy.
He values good work. He takes his time. He didn’t snap his fingers to create the Universe. He communed with Father, Son, and Spirit. His great plans unfolded over time. This process was slow, patient, and intentional. (See Book of Genesis)
God does not operate within our sense of (rushed) time. In Truth, Peter writes, “Do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8)
In addition, Jesus waited 30 years until he started his ministry on earth! He took time to eat with people and teach in parables. C’MON… an efficient story-teller gets to the point quickly and avoids all obscurities.
What do we do with all of this? In such a demanding culture, we cannot afford to be unproductive. Work is good. So, how do we do good work without striving to be the most efficient?
I have an idea.
Let’s swap efficiency for something better… stewardship.
Stewardship is the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.
Let us be careful and responsible with the good gifts entrusted to us: time, money, relationships, careers…
Instead of an inward focus on amount of effort we contribute or a hyper-focus on the outcome, we can be intentional about our responsibilities without being machine-like. This is no easy task, but we must start somewhere. I trust this is just the beginning of my exploration of stewardship.
This blog is getting long, so I’ll end with this challenge… how can you trade efficiency for stewardship today?
My goal today is to sit down at a physical table and eat a meal with a living, breathing human. I will silence my phone and practice mindfulness, as we engage.
Tell me yours!
