I’m standing in the kitchen, while the pasta is on the stove in its final minutes of prep, mentally debating what the best way to transport all the meal items from the kitchen to the dining table. Is there a way to do it in less trips? Is there a way to maximize hotness and coldness to respective dishes? These are the thoughts that go through my head scores of times per day.

Efficiency is a hobby—nay, obsession—of mine. If you come over and ask for a glass of water, chances are you will get it in an old pickle jar because there is no sense in that glass making the long trip to me (to deliver pickles) and me sending it all the way back without getting some more use of it. There are even times where I become inefficient thinking of how best to be efficient. But for the most part, I enjoy pondering better ways to do things.

My love of efficiency also carries over to items I own, or look to purchase. I believe a product should be a tool, and as a tool it should do its job as best it can. Here are some of my favorite items:

1. Sinn watch - The watch itself looks great because it’s so clear and easy to read, which is exactly what it should be since it’s function is to tell time. However, the real beauty for me lies in it’s automatic power. Automatic mechanisms have been around since 1770, but it still amazes me how simple and perfect the technology is. You move your arm all day long, so why not harness that power to keep your watch going? Brilliant, and we need more thinking like this in the world.

2. Leica camera - Heralded as the finest camera ever made, the M6 design didn’t change for over 15 years. My personal one is 25 years old and is still a thrill to use, with results that even top-end digies are hard-pressed to match. The price seems a bit inefficient at first, but when you think about longevity that thought quickly dissipates. In the time I’ve owned this M6 I’ve been through 7 digital cameras. I know that I will own this camera forever, so that’s probably 40 more digital camera lives, and deaths, while this guy is still ticking. On top of that, it can function fully mechanically. That means you will never run out of batteries.

3. Swobo fixed gear bike - OK, I’m aware of the painfully hipster statement this made of me riding this baby through Brooklyn, but hear me out. Actually, I was first against the idea of a fixie in NYC. These are track bikes, so in my eyes this was the wrong tool for the job… until I found out one key bit of info. My love of bikes started as any kid’s, but it grew into an adult passion in NYC where it was fun, dangerous, quick, cheap, and bonus: environmentally friendly. And when I found out that bicycles are the most efficient form of travel created by man that was the kicker. And what is the most efficient type of bike? You guessed it, the hipster special. By losing the derailleur you gain about 15% of power efficiency. Sold.

I love these items not only for their individual ability to do a job perfectly, but also because they are built on the old school (or Japanese) conception that you only need to buy one in your life. In world modeled off consumption it’s tough to tell someone to stop consuming. What we can try and do is to shift the mentality back to saving up a bit more for something that wants to last. This is discussed in GOOD’s Slow Issue and also in Cradle to Cradle.

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On the flip side of efficiency is waste—my personal pet peeve. I know that sometime in the future I will work on a project combating waste, and it may just be my calling, I just don’t know what the specifics are yet. Any bright ideas? Post them in the comments, if it’s good, we’ll do it as an Incubator Project and you can join the team.

Credit for thumbnail image.