You've probably claimed efficiency as a value at some point, maybe even built decisions around it. But when you stop and look at how you actually spend your time and energy, something doesn't match up.
Who This Is For
This page is for you if you've noticed a gap between valuing efficiency and actually living it. You might be someone who respects speed and productivity in theory, then finds yourself lingering on conversations that don't optimize anything, or spending hours on work that doesn't scale, or protecting space in your calendar for things that are inefficient by design. You feel the tension. You want to understand what's real about your values and what's aspirational.
This is also for you if you're evaluating efficiency as a possible core value and want to know whether it actually belongs on your list. Maybe you've been told efficiency matters in your field, or you've internalized it from your environment, and you're trying to figure out if that's something you genuinely organize your life around or something you think you should. That clarity is worth having before you build a career or life strategy on it.
This is not for you if efficiency is already non-negotiable in your life and you have no interest in questioning it. If your decisions flow naturally from that value and you don't experience conflict around it, you don't need this page. You already know what you're doing.
What You Will Discover
The first thing that shifts is your ability to distinguish between a real value and an internalized expectation. Shalom Schwartz's research on basic human values, conducted across 80+ countries and published in 1992, identified 10 universal value types arranged in a circular structure. What matters here is that values are not isolated preferences. In Schwartz's circumplex model, some values sit adjacent to each other because they naturally support one another, while values at opposite points create genuine tension. Efficiency, for instance, sits in the self-enhancement and conservation part of the circle. When you map your actual priorities, you'll see whether efficiency aligns with the values that sit next to it in your particular life, or whether you're pushing against adjacent values that matter more to you.
The second shift is practical. You'll stop wasting energy trying to optimize things that don't need optimizing if efficiency isn't actually your value. Or, if it is, you'll understand which domains of your life require it and which ones don't. You'll know where to apply discipline and where to let go. Most people who say they value efficiency are actually valuing efficiency in one or two specific contexts (work, projects, systems) while their real values in other areas (relationships, creativity, learning) pull in different directions. Once you see that pattern, you can stop treating yourself like you're broken.
Common Reasons People Wait
One reason people hesitate is that they worry naming their real values might mean accepting something uncomfortable. If you discover efficiency isn't actually your value, that feels like admitting you've been wrong about yourself. Or worse, it feels like giving yourself permission to be inefficient, which your industry or family would punish. That's a real concern, and it's worth acknowledging: sometimes clarity does ask you to make harder choices. But the choice you're actually facing is between living according to real values and living according to borrowed ones. One is harder in the moment. The other is harder over time.
Another reason is uncertainty about whether this applies to you if you work in a field that genuinely demands efficiency, like software development or healthcare. You think, "I don't get to explore this. Efficiency has to be my value." The answer is more specific: you can hold efficiency as a professional competency without it being a core personal value. The distinction matters. A core value is something you organize your life around because it means something to you. A professional requirement is something you meet because the job demands it. Many people excel at both. The problem comes when you mistake a requirement for a value, then wonder why you feel hollow even though you're doing what you said you wanted.
A third hesitation is that you suspect efficiency might be your value, but you're not sure how to verify it. You can't just feel your way to the answer. This is why mapping works better than intuition. The My Values career values assessment surfaces your actual values, ranks them, and shows you where your life currently reflects them and where it doesn't. That concrete picture is much harder to dismiss than a vague sense that something's off.
The next step is straightforward: take the career values assessment and see what actually ranks above and below efficiency for you.
Is efficiency even a core value or just a workplace skill?
Efficiency can be either, and that's the point. It becomes a core value when you organize your personal life around it, not just your work. If you make decisions about relationships, time, money, and identity based on efficiency, it's a value. If you apply it only when the job requires it, it's a skill. Most people confuse the two.
What if my industry requires efficiency? Do I have to prioritize it as a personal value?
No. You can be excellent at something without it being a core value. A surgeon can prioritize precision and efficiency at work while valuing creativity and slowness in the rest of life. The problem is not having efficiency as a professional strength. The problem is assuming that because you're good at it or required to do it, it must be one of your deepest values. That assumption is what creates the hollow feeling.
How do I know if I'm valuing efficiency or just avoiding the guilt of being inefficient?
Real values pull you toward something. They feel like alignment. Guilt-driven pseudo-values push you away from something and feel like obligation. When you imagine letting go of efficiency, does it feel like relief or like failure? If it's relief, you might be chasing someone else's value. If it's failure, efficiency might actually matter to you.
Can efficiency conflict with other core values?
Yes. Schwartz's research shows that values sitting opposite each other in the value circle create tension. Efficiency often conflicts with values like tradition, belonging, or openness to experience. If you're trying to be both maximally efficient and deeply connected to people, you'll face real tradeoffs. Clarity about your actual value hierarchy helps you make those tradeoffs intentionally instead of splitting yourself.