Efficiency....what methods do you use to make a job go easier?

Years back, I had a boss that tried hard to be efficient. I worked in construction where sometimes the profit margins were made or lost on how productive the employees were.
Ron made it a point to use all the materials that we could to minimize waste but that was just the tip of the iceberg for him.
One thing that he also encouraged was to not waste your steps.
Example: You are driving the forklift and going back and forth between the work site and the lumber cut and storage yard. If you needed to get another unit of plywood from the yard, look around for something that needs to go back to the yard and take that with you, then return with the plywood. His thoughts were to avoid driving the forklift unloaded unless it was the only way. This saved time and fuel.
That principle stuck with me.
I called it avoiding wasted steps. Don't walk over the same path multiple times without doing something.
At home, I always try to carry something with me to the kitchen or garage if I'm heading that way for something.
While I am up, I'll let the dogs out or do something else that might require getting up again.
With cars, that "efficiency" has led to what some call mission creep, the snowball effect, (like how a snowball increases in size when rolling down the hill) the "while I am here" syndrome....
While you have something apart, it does make sense to fix other surrounding things because it is open and right there.

What levels of efficiency do you use that save time and trouble?