Why focus on Quantity instead of Quality

Do you go by the ‘If I’m doing anything, I’m doing it perfect’ kind of attitude? If yes, then this article is just for you. We are told quality is what matters over quantity, that if something doesn’t turn up to be its highest quality, then don’t proceed with it at all. But here in today’s post, I want to tell you why we must focus on quantity instead of quality.

With this little mindset shift, we can be better at achieving our goals, sticking to good habits, and in embracing our progress. 

This idea comes from two of the people whose work I like, but come to think of it, it’s actually not new. Successful people have known this all along.

The quantity vs Quality experiment

James Clear, the author of atomic habits has shared one wonderful story in his book. Let me share once again if you haven’t read it yet. 

A photography professor at the University of Florida decided to run an experiment on his students. He divided the classroom into two groups. The left side of the classroom was named the ‘quantity group’ and the right side was named the ‘quality group’. 

To the quantity group, the professor said that their grade would be marked solely on the number of photos they would produce. The higher the number of their work, the higher the grade they would get. 

To the quality group, the professor said their grade would be marked solely on the quality of their work. This quality group had to submit just one photo but it had to be nearly perfect and of the highest quality. 

When the end of the term came, the result was both interesting and surprising. 

The Professor found that the best photos did not come from the quality group but from the Quantity group.

This group did not judge their work whether it was being perfect or not. Instead, during the entire semester, they kept taking photos, experimenting with composition, lighting, and such and in the process of focusing solely on creating a number of photos, they learned from their mistakes and kept improving their skills. 

Whereas the quality group, because they were too occupied with perfection they kept researching how to produce the best photo but spent less time doing the actual practice. 

Be ready to suck

Ali Abdal another very successful YouTuber, shares that when it comes to Youtube videos, his mantra has always been:

“Your first 100 videos are going to suck, so get through those as quickly as possible and then you’ll start making good stuff”.

He recently started his part-time YouTuber academy and he tells his students this exact same thing.

We get so consumed with perfection, beating ourselves up for not coming up with something perfect forgetting the fact that practice is what makes perfect. 

If we only stopped focusing so much on quality and instead focus on quantity we can get started, experiment in life, learn from our mistakes and reach our goals.

And this can be applied to anything- in writing, creating art, creating music, yoga, doing pushups, or anything.

This is a piece of personal advice to me too.

What I’m taking:

• When it comes to writing, I can obsess over not coming up with the perfect words and perfect ideas or I can just first let in all the ideas and words that naturally comes to me and slowly start from there.

• It shouldn’t bother me whether something is good or bad. If I focus on the quantity enough, the quality will take care of itself. 
  
  
• Not knowing something should not be an excuse for not starting. There is a lot of joy in not knowing too, that is how we will learn and so we must embrace it.

• Lastly, Be brave enough to repeatedly suck so as to give space for learning and improvement. 

With this, I wish you a wonderful week ahead.

Also, why you must be okay with wasting time

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