Muda (無駄) is a traditional Japanese term for an activity that is wasteful and doesn't add value or is unproductive.
This is a really cool concept to me. When I reflect on my days and really challenge myself, it is amazing to me how much of my life is waste. Here are some examples from the last two days:
- Watching Kieth Olberman rant on and on about the oil spill
- Un-optimized travel where I am stuck in airports or overnight in hotels needlessly
- Not following up on things immediately and then not getting to them until days later
- Letting conference calls drag on without clear resolution or action items
I think the most "un-MUDA" activity you can do is to spend time evaluating MUDA. What if you spend 20 minutes each day eliminating waste and then get 2-3 hours a day back in efficiency. That is a huge payback.
I am going to start looking at my time more seriously and see what happens when I make MUDA elimination a priority each day. I will report back in a couple weeks.
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