When Efficiency gets in the way
I’ve got my morning routine down to a fine art: quick workout, shower, get dressed, pack lunch, eat porridge, walk to the station, and hop on the 8:19 train. It’s smooth, it’s simple, and it gets me to work on time.
But here’s the thing—getting to that level of efficiency didn’t just happen. It took effort, trial and error, and a lot of tweaking. And even now, the tiniest disruption can throw it all off balance.
Like this morning.
There was a package waiting for me with a note: Open today. Inside was a gift from a friend—a bottle of mead and a tiny LEGO figure. It was in memory of someone we both loved and lost. I smiled. I laughed. I cried. And just like that, my perfectly timed morning unravelled.
That moment made something really clear: my routine might be efficient, but it’s not flexible. It doesn’t leave room for the unexpected, the emotional, or the meaningful. It’s all about getting things done—not about being in the moment.
There’s a line from a poem by R.S. Thomas that says, “Life is not hurrying on to a receding future, nor hankering after an imagined past.…” And that’s what I missed this morning—the space to turn aside.
When we’re laser-focused on being efficient, we can miss the magic in the margins. The spontaneous joy. The creative spark. The chance to pause, reflect, or simply feel. As long as we’re racing to catch the 8:19, we might be missing what really matters.
In my work as a coach, I often see this play out. People come to me feeling stuck, burned out, or just… flat. They’ve optimized their lives for productivity, but not for resilience. And when life throws a curveball—as it inevitably does—they realize there’s no wiggle room. No space to adapt.
That’s where coaching can help. It creates a space to pause, to reflect, and to reimagine. It helps people reconnect with what’s truly important and build the kind of flexibility that real resilience requires.
So if you’re feeling like your routine is running you instead of the other way around, maybe it’s time to turn aside. I’d love to help you explore what that could look like. Why not reach out and book a session?
