One thing that always comes to mind during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is the idea of doing more vs. doing better. It’s at that time of year that I have the opportunity to really look at what I’ve done over the past several months and what I look to do in the months ahead. There’s a tranquility over those seven days that is hard to find at any other time of the calendar year. So I take advantage of it.
Even after that break and having clarity of thought it’s really challenging to work towards being better at things I’m already doing as opposed to doing more things. The idea of doing more is far easier to quantify. Doing things better is more of a qualitative thing. That is more challenging to measure. I think that’s why the push to do more is prevalent in the world more than doing things better. It’s more objective. It’s something you can certainly measure easier and that means you can manage it easier.
Or can you manage it easier?
I’d suggest doing less better is easier to manage but more difficult to measure in terms of productivity – at least at first glance. The management part is simpler. Why? It’s because you are managing less things. But the measurement part needs to be tweaked so that you’re not measuring the amount of things you’re doing. Instead you’re measuring the outcomes of the things that you’re doing better.
No matter what time of year you’re reading this, think about whether it’s worth placing your focus and attention on doing more things or doing what you’re already doing better instead. Doing less things better seems to fly in the face of productivity. But if you do it right, it is the most productive thing you can do.
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