I’m big into efficiency, so it’s not surprising that, when I made my wife a paper-bagged sandwich for lunch yesterday morning, I made myself one too.

Saving time! Efficiency!

But all it did was give me a ready-made, right-there, on-demand, how-can-I-possibly-ignore-this sandwich right there next to the Brita pitcher… all morning.

The sandwich made it until about 10. Because double digits or something — close enough to lunch, right?

No, not really.

Come 12, I made another sandwich.

Takeaway

Efficiency, for its own sake, isn’t enough.

(NOTE: My book, Long Term Person, Short Term World, is $1 for the next few weeks and free on Thursday, August 3 and Friday, August 4. If you already own it or have already read it, would you mind encouraging others to check it out? Thank you!)