# Compounding Efficiency By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2023-04-03 Anticipating the needs of others is a critical skill in terms of efficiency. If you anticipate the forthcoming problems, you can plan for them and deliver solutions earlier than the competition. Notice that earlier delivery does not mean less work. In all likelihood, an equivalent level of effort is performed by your competitors. You just happened to get started sooner. So, how does this relate to being more efficient when the same amount of work is performed? Well, one part is perception. If you deliver earlier than anyone else, people assume you work faster and more effectively. Hence, they'll perceive you as efficient and come to you first. The other part is what you do with your free time before the competition arrives. You could sit back and wait, or you could be productive. Perhaps you can improve the solution or learn a new skill or idea. (I generally recommend the latter.) Being productive during "free time" creates the opportunity to propel you forward to being even further ahead or even more prepared for future opportunities. It's reinvesting in yourself that compounds over time until you are perceived by many to be highly knowledgeable and efficient. But, make no mistake about it, there is no shortcut, you can't change the hand dealt to you, and efficiency is about getting ahead in the game. So, how do you anticipate the needs of others to get that first win fall? By paying attention to the human condition, history, and learning how systems work. Once you figure those things out, the writing will be on the wall. #### Related Items [[Efficiency]] [[Work]] [[Problem Solving]] [[The Human Condition]] [[Systems Thinking]]