Consider Quantity Before Quality

2-Minute Tonic: Article 1

This article is part of the new 2-minute Tonic series, a collection of short texts helping you navigate life’s stormy seas, stay the course and anchor at your desired destination.

The old adage “Quality is better than quantity” is not always true. Focusing on quantity before quality helps you make progress. It empowers you to establish yourself as someone who takes action.

Photo by Franck V. on Unsplash

That is not to say that quality is not important but focusing on it leads to fear and inaction, especially if you have a proclivity towards perfection and self-doubt.

Instead, focus your attention on quantity. You’ll be more playful and less judgemental about your results whilst learning. You’ll become more willing to produce. Create. Build. Do.

Quantity begets quality. Momentum grows with quantitive output. As you learn from your mistakes, you iterate and refine what functions. You improve.

The process is far longer the other way around.

Quality leads to rehashing, rewriting, rehearsing, replaying and redoing. It can even be your undoing.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Consider a board game.

Initially, you’re unsure of how to play. As you move your token around the board you begin to identify which squares you should land on and which ones to avoid. It becomes more familiar and you gain experience and gather insight.

The 2nd time is easier. You avoid mistakes and remember patterns that led to certain outcomes. The more you play, the better you compete as a more experienced and strategic player.

One could suggest another method: Research. Watch others play the game, take note of how they move. Observe their strategy.

You could argue this would lead you to play a more qualitative game. But this method is passive. You’ll spend time watching videos and reading articles to master a game you’ve never even attempted whilst others are playing, testing, failing and ultimately learning by doing.

By the time you’ve played one game, your opponents will have played 10. No amount of preparation can make up for experience.

Focus on quantity and quality will come.

Don’t be the person stuck reading the instruction manual.

Thanks for reading.

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