When I was studying English as a foreign language, I never really learned the difference between the word “efficient” and “effective” because they are translated into almost the same word in Chinese. A few months into my entrepreneurship journey, I realized that there is a huge difference! And surprisingly, it turns out that most people are just as confused as I was but unlike me, their problem is more than just an issue of translation.
Being efficient is about having many trifle things done. Being effective is about having the most important one or two things done so that the whole project can move forward.
It is a conscious choice between the “trifle many” and the “vital few” as described in the book The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less. This is a very important learning for me and has created a big impact on my overall productivity.