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# The efficient way is the wrong way
- URL: https://larrysalibra.com/the-efficient-way-is-the-wrong-way/
- Published: 2026-10-25T14:53:54.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-25T14:53:54.000Z
- Author: Larry Salibra
- Tags: philosophy, day-108, daily

> "The efficient way is the wrong way. Like if you're going to do the accepted, efficient, what McKinsey will tell you to do \[way\], you are going to get accepted, normal, efficient results. If you want outlier results, you need to take the hard way."

This quote is from the Seinfeld episode of the Acquired Podcast. The host is talking about Jerry Seinfeld's response to a Harvard Business Review interviewer who asked him how he could have made the production of the show more efficient. The labor-intensive process of creating the show was what made it so good.

I often think about this and the related "inventing and wandering" concept popularized by Jeff Bezos where without the wandering you can't invent.

Whenever I have to make a big decision and there's no clear right or wrong answer, I find myself picking the option I think will be the better adventure or the option "normies" won't chose. This also frequently means choosing the option I'm more afraid of. 

These aren't exactly the same concepts, but the results are the same: being an outlier. While being an outlier is not a sufficient condition for outlier results, it is a necessary precondition. It's also way more fun!