Many of us confuse efficiency with effectiveness.Let me explain the difference.

Efficiency means doing something well within the time you have allocated to it. Effectiveness means doing just those things that move you closer to your goals and objectives. It is much better to be effective than efficient.

In order to be effective you must pull away from the chaos and think through exactly what steps are most likely to take you from where you are to where you want to be. By accomplishing those steps, you are effective as you move yourself closer to your goals and dreams. Within any step, of course, it is important to be efficient, i.e., use time well and productively. But, no matter how efficient you are, if you are not taking the right actions toward your goals, you are ineffective.

“Being efficient without regard to effectiveness is the default mode of the universe.”

The Four Hour Work Week, Timothy Ferriss

It is easier to be efficient than it is to be effective. To be effective we need to put ourselves into a position of discomfort. We need to undertake the uncomfortable process of honestly evaluating the direction we are in, and whether we are on the right path to where we want to be one, or three, or five years from now. If the answer is that we are not, then we need to determine what steps we can take to make a course correction. That process is painful.

Many of us avoid the uncomfortable process of analyzing our dreams and directions by keeping busy. We strive to become efficient at what we are presently engaged in – whether or not those activities are moving us anywhere near where we want to go. By staying busy, we are too preoccupied with asking the hard questions and making the tough decisions.

“Love of bustle is not industry.”

Seneca (Roman philosopher)

I am a great fan of Scott Peck who started his wonderful book, The Road Less Travelled with the words “Life is difficult.” He then goes on to explain that once you understand and accept that, then life is no longer quite so difficult. As it applies to this entry, once you accept the fact that finding and creating your dreamscape is an ongoing and sometimes uncomfortable process of quiet reflection and hard choices, engaging in the process becomes less frightening.

Efficiency is of course important. But when jamming lots of stuff into limited time frames becomes your substitute for self-assessment, well then you are sacrificing the critical for the sake of the pressing.

Jim Randel is the founder of The Skinny On book series. His next book, The Skinny on Success, will be in stores soon.