There are different ways of using whatever wits you may have been blessed with to improve your quality of life. Are you effectively using all three?
Level 1 — Maneuvering
This is the level of simple tactics. Observe the situation, and act to better your position. In traffic, you might try to get in the fastest lane. In a fast-paced conversation, you might listen for a gap so that you can speak your mind. In doing your job, you might CC your boss on a deliverable to a third-party (to make sure your boss knows you’re actually doing some work).
Effective maneuvering demands concentration and cleverness. Most of us master the basics on the school-yard, and later refine our maneuvering skills by learning to work more efficiently and effectively. Time-saving tips and optimization techniques fall into this category.
Maneuvering, on its own, won’t take us very far. The other day I got caught in Giant’s traffic — the approach to the Bay Bridge was agonizingly slow. Drivers (myself included) maneuvered to get into the best lane, to “cheat” and get into a lane at the last minute, or to drive close to the car ahead in order to prevent other drivers from cheating.