It happens every day.

“Can you [insert task] by tomorrow?”
“Yes. Will get on it right away.”

Then you complete the task just as you always have.

You don’t question the method.

It’s easy to become so caught up in finishing something that you don’t realize the inefficiency of the process.

Immediate excuses might be:
“Well, that’s how we’ve always done it.”
“We’re on a tight deadline, and we don’t have time to rethink it.”

There are multiple ways to accomplish anything. The quality of your results often isn’t based on your skill or desire to complete the task, but the means by which the task is completed. If something you’re working on seems tedious or unnecessary, it probably is. If you’re in this place

a) use basic logic to evaluate the method;
b) investigate models or tools others have already created;
c) ask yourself and others familiar with the work whether there is already another process that accomplishes the same end. (When you dig into the processes of a business, the unnecessary redundancy across functional teams and departments may astound you.)

Always seek ways to improve the process. Always consider the possibility of a better way. This is the essence of continuous improvement.