Counterpoint: Doing More of Less is Better Than Doing Less of More
Do you know someone who tries to do too much and therefore does nothing well? Or do you know one of those people who is a jack of all trades but a master of none? I would argue most people have a little of both of these types in them. I would also argue our culture encourages this type of thinking.
Unfortunately, there is a popular cultural phenomenon that provides short term rewards to those who sacrifice their future. To get these rewards you must do less of more. These short term rewards are enticing, but must be avoided if you want to win in the long run.
Those who win in the long run don’t focus on winning rewards today, they focus on mastery. Winning today could be a byproduct of focusing on mastery, but it’s not the focus. When you focus on mastery you spend your time doing more of less instead of less of more.
Doing more of less requires you to have a detailed understanding of four things:
- what you want,
- what you must master to get it,
- the other options you must sacrifice, and
- the consequences of sacrificing your other options.
Knowing these four things is what allows you to go all in on what you need to do more of, and avoid all the other things you need to do less of.