# The efficiency curse By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2022-08-28 What do you think about when you are waiting in line? Prior to cell phones, I imagine the answer to this question would be very interesting. Today I suspect the answer is very boring as no one is doing any thinking. They are mostly consuming content on Instagram or Twitter. A few of them are communicating with their friends and family. One person is jamming out to [[music]] and not paying attention. This cultural shift is mundane but likely significant as I suspect the amount of thinking has significantly gone down, which could be a good thing for some and a disaster for others. I believe that my thoughts and actions are fairly atypical when I'm waiting in a line. I'm really not on my phone much because I'm barely on social media. I don't have the desire to play that game. Instead, my thoughts are consumed by efficiency because I've been cursed. I think about Queuing Theory, process [[optimization]], and traffic flows. These ideas were introduced to me via my education as an Industrial Engineer, which you can mostly just think of as a field focused on designing efficient systems. Industrial Engineers are the people thinking about how to build faster assembly lines or methods to minimize wasted motion while making a McDonald's cheeseburger. Society quietly benefits from the work of Industrial Engineers in terms of price, speed, and [[quality]]. But it comes at a cost for those who are aware of its magic - the efficiency curse. Those afflicted with the efficiency curse will cease to appreciate the process and instead view the process as a thing to conquer and reduce. Instead of [[living]] in the moment, I'm thinking about how to make that moment less to get to the end goal. I'm not saying that getting to the end goal faster has no benefits, clearly, it does. But for the individual, sometimes living in the moment and appreciating the process is the point. For example, Disney World is designed to be an immersive experience with tons of meticulously decided details. You could go without a plan and have a great time enjoying the entire experience. But those with the efficiency curse think not about that process of immersion but of going on all of the rides as quickly as possible with minimal wait time. Both experiences have appreciative benefits, but those with the efficiency curse only have one option of enjoyment (speed) and that may completely miss the point. Ironically, Disney employs many Industrial Engineers to make all experiences more efficient. #### Related Items [[Efficiency]] [[Queuing Theory]] [[Thinking]] [[Industrial Engineer]] [[Distractions]] [[The Grind]]