If you talk to many of the world’s leading productivity experts, you’ll likely encounter some rather common terms. They might talk about organizational skills and how a cluttered desk could be representative of a cluttered mind. They might tell you about the importance of taking timely breaks from your work, so that you return refreshed and revitalized. And then, the discussion may turn to proficiency and efficiency.
While these concepts may be intricately intertwined, being proficient at something is not the same as being efficient with that same thing.
Proficiency has to do with skill or competence. In order to gain proficiency with a particular technique or particular task, you may have to get some sort of formal training. For example, a trained and licensed plumber is likely very proficient at installing bathroom fixtures. Contrast this with the average Joe, who may struggle with the instructions for how to properly install a new toilet.
Efficiency, on the other hand, has more to do with the ratio between the amount of work being put in and the amount that is produced out the other end. We oftentimes talk about efficiency in terms of time. For a repetitive task like stuffing envelopes, the person who can stuff more envelopes in less time is described as being more efficient. At the same time, we must make sure that we don’t confuse efficiency with effectiveness; effectiveness (or efficacy) has to do with the ability to produce the desired result.
And so, using the example of stuffing envelopes, if person A stuffs 10 envelopes a minute, but five of them are done incorrectly, whereas person B only stuffs 7 envelopes a minute but none are done incorrectly, then person A is more efficient, whereas person B is more effective. Put another way, person B is arguably more proficient at this task than person A.
There is an inherent relationship between proficiency and efficiency, of course. The person who has become very proficient at a particular task, likely though both training and practice, is likely to become very efficient at that same task. You might think of a video editor as a prime example. If the editor is very familiar with the software and already has a firm grasp of the “vision” he is trying to achieve, he will likely be better able not only to produce a finished product more quickly than the amateur, but he will likely be able to produce a better finished product too.
Many words in the English language can be easily confused, especially when they’re not commonly used in everyday conversation. We see this with comprise and compose, canvas and canvass, and capital and capitol, among countless other word pairs. The only way you can really become more proficient with your use of the English language is with practice. Write lots. Read more. Pretty soon, you’ll be a very efficient reader and a very effective writer too!
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