Being efficient and productive is not always the goal. Companies are ruined when we misunderstand the role of productivity.
Efficiency serves execution. Think of it as a compass. You know where to go and are now seeking the best way to get there.
These are very poor helpers in finding what is right or finding what is true. They are tools to get there faster, once you know where 'there' is.
The uncomfortable lack of progress.
When we are not progressing as well as we would like to a few things tend to show up. We become impatient and try to do something. Anything...and, under the guise of being productive, we skip the part of discovering what we actually should do, what we really want to accomplish, rather then do something.
At this point, the question is rarely "How can we move forward in the most efficient way?" but rather, "What is the right direction going forward?" and after that, "Given that I now discovered the direction, what is a good first step?"
Granted, figuring out what the right direction is for what you want to accomplish can be hard and frustrating work. It usually is an exercise which you will not have any confirmation of having come to the right conclusion, however, being diligent and critical on your thinking process tends to pay good rewards.
Action is not the same as progress.
Even though it feels like it, doing something does not equate with making process. Just ask any procrastinator.
Action and movement needs direction.
I do agree that taking action can be a very very very effective way of discovering the right direction and I love using it. We need to remember that it is only one tool in our toolbox though.
Not everything is a task.
Tasks exists to be executed upon. Completed. Crossed-off. This implies the understanding of the goal and how does it look like when ready. In this case, being efficient is a big plus.
Not everything is in this category though. There are many moments in which you need to decide between 'A' and 'B'. Decisions which are ambiguous, where there are loads of conflicting opinions and which what you actually want is to get as close to "the truth" as you possibly can.
In this scenario, efficiency is not necessarily your friend.
The truth does not care about efficiency.
And if this is a truth that is important enough, it must be important enough to be sought inefficiently.
Ps. I wrote this post without headers or bullet points on purpose. You either read it or skip it. No skimming. Or at least no easy skimming.
Oh, and now you can find me no bsky.