As an industrial engineering major, efficiency has been ingrained into my way of thinking.

Japanese “continuous improvement” philosophies prohibit me from unloading the dishwasher without thinking, “What would Toyota do?” A quality control concept called “Six Sigma” leads me to believe only 3.4 people per million readers found that last sentence to be worth even a smile.

As much as I am tempted to evangelize efficiency and continue making jokes you can’t relate to, I would rather explore the possibility that efficiency is completely overrated.

One recent trend in business, perhaps further spurred by the recession, is a focus on “lean” techniques. For many companies, this means an influx of efficiency experts, trained to scrutinize every manufacturing process and financial transaction.

What’s the problem?

Well, remember those IBM commercials where employees simply “ideated” all day? I can’t help but wonder if we are replacing too many creative, innovative “ideators” with data mining analysts.

Efficiency is vital in any business, but it’s important to remember that you simply can’t replace the power of a good idea — not even with a well-trained, analytically-minded industrial engineer.

Not every organization has the brainpower of Google,Inc. of course, but Google’s 20 percent rule, which dictates that employees spend 20 percent of their time exploring new ideas, comes to mind as the way companies ought to perform — thinking toward the future rather than overanalyzing the past.

Next, consider Wall Street. Isn’t it great how quickly you or I can get online to buy and sell stocks in the stock market?

Not necessarily. The information revolution, with all its great benefits, means the speed at which we can send and receive data is much faster than the rate at which we can actually comprehend it. So instead of carefully considering potential transactions, we let a computer command our every move.

(This revelation came to me during a fantasy basketball auction-style draft, when I accidentally spent $100 on Lebron James before realizing I had just used over half of my money.)

I also have to mention food. Industrial agriculture is certainly a clever design. Cows are bred to get fat quickly and die, chickens are packed so tightly they never get to open their wings and fish are fed fertilizer from crop runoffs — all in the name of efficiency.

I can probably dream up many more examples of efficiency being taken too far, but the most important perspective to consider is that of a student.

For us, I think the problem is not that efficiency is overrated, but rather that it’s wrongly defined. For some reason, it’s usually only mentioned alongside work, studying, homework and other less-than-inspirational terms; there is no room for fun in the traditional meaning of efficiency.

Philosopher Bertrand Russell said it best: “The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”

I should note that I am not trying to justify staring at Facebook for four hours a day; the following advice applies more to the highly-driven stress ball who simply refuses to take a break.

Do something without a purpose once in a while. “Waste” some time. Be “inefficient.”

Take the time to enjoy a book that is not required by your instructor. Don’t let a lack of productivity prevent you from having fun at a concert or athletic event. Try not to view the inch of empty space on your resume as a sign that you need to get involved in one more activity. Next time you’re in the middle of a long conversation, don’t think, “Hurry up and stop talking so I can leave and get some work done.” Instead, ask another question. Get to know their story.

It’s easy to feel pressured to constantly work toward that next big thing in life, even if you don’t yet know what it is. In all likelihood, though, you are the only person putting this pressure on yourself.

So take it easy. Have some fun. It’s just college.