Be Effective, not Efficient

Shaan's perspective on being effective versus efficient is really about focusing on doing the right things (effective) rather than doing things in the right way (efficient). It's a distinction that highlights the importance of prioritizing your goals and ensuring your actions align with those priorities, rather than just trying to optimize the process of whatever tasks you're doing.

Being effective is about aiming your efforts towards what will make the biggest difference or have the highest impact towards your goals. It's essentially asking, "Am I doing the things that will really move the needle for what I'm trying to achieve?" For instance, in a business context, being effective might mean focusing on projects or initiatives that will drive the most growth or revenue, regardless of how streamlined or efficient the process is to get there.

On the other hand, being efficient is about optimizing your process to do something in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort. It's more about the how than the what. Efficiency is incredibly valuable in many contexts, especially when you're dealing with limited resources or when you're in the execution phase of a project. However, efficiency without effectiveness can lead you to very quickly and proficiently climb the wrong ladder.

The key takeaway from Shaan's discussion on this topic is likely the importance of first ensuring you're being effective — that is, choosing the right ladder to climb — before optimizing for efficiency in your climb.