Many organizations think of their human workforce as resources that should not be wasted.Just like a factory is considered efficient if there is minimum wastage and maximum output, organizations hire experts or pay absurd salaries to leaders to ensure there is maximum efficiency and minimal waste.Complete efficiency at all times is considered something desirable, and taking breaks, sleeping, being sick or being burnt out is considered a weakness.

Slack: Efficiency Vs Effectiveness

Slack is the excess resources, people, time, money or expectations we have that prevent us from being locked into our current state. Without any slack time, we would be overwhelmed and on full capacity, unable to respond or adapt to the changing world outside.&nbsp;In the right quantity, slack allows us to handle the shocks and surprises that come up inevitably. It is the buffer zone that we all need to work effectively.

The Importance Of Slack

The problem with most organizations that idolize efficiency and minimize slack is that they become less and less effective. They fail to realize that being efficient at all times does not mean being effective.Slack, which is seen as laziness or lacking initiative is the downtime that an organization requires to breathe, reinvent and make the necessary changes that are not apparent if everyone is busy doing the given tasks.Total efficiency is a myth and it is actually possible to be less efficient and still improve drastically.

Total Efficiency Is A Myth

Survival requires reinvention, pivoting and constant adaptation, and slack becomes the main ingredient of change. It is the breathing space between work that makes us look up and see where we are, and what has changed around us. It is the wake time between the sleepiness of constantly being busy.Slack allows us to sit and think of the future and make the required changes, which we wouldn’t see if we were in a low-level, machine-like state of constant productivity.

Slack And Change

Slack time is the time we do nothing in particular, where we aren't busy doing something. This seemingly idle state of being is the time of complete responsiveness to any task that crops up, and the readiness of not being busy or engrossed in something, allowing ourselves to attend to the now.Our busy lives need some slack time, as our being busy is paradoxically the reason for our stress, frustration and our inability to respond to new opportunities.

Slack: The Zero State

If you ever find yourself stressed, overwhelmed, sinking into stasis despite wanting to change, or frustrated when you can’t respond to new opportunities, you need more slack in your life. Here’s how slack works and why you need more of it.

The Importance Of Slack

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