My New Pill Box

In addition to the blood pressure pills I take from stressing out over changing the business model for professional firms (kidding, it is hereditary), I take a few vitamins and supplements on a daily basis. Since I like to take them on a full stomach, after dinner seems to work best for me. However, because I am usually doing several things at once I sometimes forget if I have taken the pills or not.After debating about it for a few weeks, I finally broke down and bought one of those weekly pill organizers. (Shown at left.) OK, before you start with the comments, there were not many choices.In any case (pun intended), I loaded it up on Sunday and thus far it is working flawlessly. Coincidently, it has also led to an unintended benefit – I only have to unscrew the child protection lids once a week now, and not once a day.I got to thinking about it and there is a lesson here for professional firms. Notice that the original problem was one of effectiveness – I could not remember if I had taken the pills. In solving the effectiveness problem I also increase my efficiency – I only open the bottles once a week now. It was through increasing my effectiveness that I also increased my efficiency. I submit that this could not have worked the other way. No amount of increasing my efficiency of the original task would have increased my effectiveness.If I have lined up the bottles and practiced open them with the least amount of effort and streamlined precision of motion, I would have not increased my ability to remember to take the pills each night.The lesson – I am living proof of Kless’ Second Law – Effectiveness always and everywhere trumps efficiency.