Techniques are disclosed for efficiently sequencing operations performed in multiple threads of execution in a computer system. In one set of embodiments, sequencing is performed by receiving an instruction to advance a designated next ticket value, incrementing the designated next ticket value in response to receiving the instruction, searching a waiters list of tickets for an element having the designated next ticket value, wherein searching does not require searching the entire waiters list, and the waiters list is in a sorted order based on the values of the tickets, and removing the element having the designated next ticket value from the list using a single atomic operation. The element may be removed by setting a waiters list head element, in a single atomic operation, to refer to an element in the list having a value based upon the designated next ticket value.