When I was a junior programmer, I wanted to maximize productivity which I defined as output / input.

As I gained experience, I wanted to maximize output only, figuring that input would naturally minimize itself as I got more proficient.

Now I only worry about 2 things:

  1. maximizing output of the top item on my list
  2. making sure the right item is at the top of my list

This seems to be working much better than any other approach I have ever taken. When I make the most progress on the most important item, things like project management, efficiency, and time management suddenly seem much less important.