I'm probably the last person you'd approach to learn about efficiency. Creativity is really the opposite of efficiency.
Efficiency requires you learn to get through each step as quickly as possible. The most efficient people don't stop to think. They act... quickly!
Creativity requires you throw away all the steps and look for a completely new path. It could take two seconds or twenty-two days. you have no idea. It's unpredictable.
Except for those who have built their own creative process. A song in 12 minutes? No problem! A blog post every half hour? Done! A powerpoint by 1pm? Let's do it!
You can have both. Keep stepping.