The paradox of efficiency
2,145,195 views | Edward Tenner • TED2019
Is our obsession with efficiency actually making us less efficient? In this revelatory talk, writer and historian Edward Tenner discusses the promises and dangers of our drive to get things done as quickly as possible -- and suggests seven ways we can use "inspired inefficiency" to be more productive.
Is our obsession with efficiency actually making us less efficient? In this revelatory talk, writer and historian Edward Tenner discusses the promises and dangers of our drive to get things done as quickly as possible -- and suggests seven ways we can use "inspired inefficiency" to be more productive.
This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.
About the speaker
Edward Tenner is an independent writer, speaker and editor who analyzes the cultural aspects of technological change.
Thomas P. Hughes | University of Chicago Press, 2004 | Book
American Genesis: A Century of Invention and Technological Enthusiasm, 1870-1970
This is best all-around introduction to the history of technology between the Civil War and the rise of personal computing, by one of the masters and founders of the field. Hughes shows even Soviet communists had nothing but praise for American ideals of efficiency.
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Deborah Lupton | Polity, 2016 | Book
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Do smartwatches and other forms of self monitoring always promote health and well-being? The evidence is mixed, and this is the leading book on the topic.
Jerry Z. Muller | Princeton University Press, 2018 | Book
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Quantifying results has never been easier — or more often misused. Jerry Z. Muller, a leading historian of political and economic ideas, turns a skeptical eye on the overuse of measurement in academia, science, and beyond, showing how incentives can bite back by distorting behavior.
David Sax | PublicAffairs, 2016 | Book
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Edward Tenner | Chronicle of Higher Education Review, 2007 | Article
"The Prestigious Inconvenience of Print"
Sadie Dingfelder | Washington Post Express, 2019 | Article
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This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.