Are You Getting a Marginal Return on Your Time and Effort?

Are you getting more than a MRTE (Marginal Return on Time & Effort?)

Is it better to be a perfectionist or just do enough to get by? Obviously the answer is neither. I think the answer is very simple: when the additional time or effort you invest exceeds the output gained, stop working on it. That is the point of “good enough.” Maybe you could change a few words, make a few tweaks, whatever the fine points are, but it is not a productive or efficient use of your time and/or effort.

Another way of looking at this is to make it a rule that you should stop working on any project or task when the extra input invested gives less output than doing a comparable task.

Some examples:

• See what the difference is when you spend 2 hours writing an article or 2.5 hours. Are you adding to content and readability or just changing a few words for aesthetics? Does the extra time really improve your result or is there another article that is waiting to be written?
• What happens if you only spend 45 minutes checking email instead of 60 minutes?  Does your effectiveness decrease?
• Does that extra hour spent scrubbing the kitchen tile really make a drastic difference when compared to the 15 minutes it takes to mop the floor? Could you better spend that extra time in another area or on something more readily visible like cleaning the front door or entryway (which might have more impact?)

The project or application does not really matter; the general idea is just to determine if spending more time on something is going to get you enough return to be worth the investment. There will be certain exceptions; there always are. You have to have standards, but just make sure your standards aren’t so high that they are costing you lost opportunities in other areas or on other projects. It’s all about valuing your time!

Question everything, move forward, enjoy the journey.