The root cause of this is poor task design. That is, the task is not logically thought out with the employment of the least steps and the work materials in the most efficient physical locations or order.

Here's an example. Most people use their computer mouse with their right hand. They also have to use their right hand to operate the 10-key pad, the delete key, the Page Up and Page Down keys, and the arrow keys. So, they move their hand 8 inches from the mouse to the keyboard and back. This goes on all day, adding up to perhaps several miles of wasted motion each year.

The fix for this is to use your mouse with your left hand. As an added bonus, this reduces carpal tunnel stress dramatically.

Think of other common tasks you do repeatedly, and look for wasted steps: making a sandwich (how is your kitchen laid out and where are your dishes and utensils relative to the working area), opening your mail, stapling papers together, sending a letter, and backstabbing a coworker. You can be more efficient at each of these things, thus saving yourself enormous amounts of time. I was joking about that last one.