Efficient or Joyful Humans?

In every modern workplace the term the term "Efficient" has become a part of common parlance. So much of human intellect is driven towards building efficient individuals and teams. An entire science called Ergonomics is created to design workplaces that help people function efficiently. Companies also invest a significant part of their budget into building efficiency. Even after all this, there's a steep increase in the levels of human burnout from work. Which raises an important question: Does Efficiency work?

The answer to the question is NO for humans, it does certainly work for machines. Then, the other questions that rises is; If not efficiency, how do we drive productivity?

To answer that, I will take you down on your memory lanes to your childhood. Recall an activity that you were really good at. Something that you absolutely loved doing regardless of what your friend next door did. You were good at it because you loved doing it, not because your father bought you the most expensive piece of equipment that's there in the market.

Now, you might say, "Everything that you say makes sense, but how do we love something that we do?"

To make you understand that, I want you to ponder upon everything that you loved doing at some point in time; Do you still love that, or your love has subsided, or it fleets? Think honestly. . .

Now you could say that I am confusing you by saying, love could make you better at something but love is a fleeting thing. Confused!?

Let me take you back again to your memory maze and think, one activity that you knew nothing about but you approached that with a lot of joy and excitement. Did you not try to do that to the best of your capabilities, no matter what the outcome was? Were you not at your creative best?

When you can approach one activity with joy, why can't you do that for everything you do?

I will leave you with joy to think if it's easy for you to add joy to everything that you do or burn yourself out with so many things that are beyond your control, trying to be more efficient.