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Why chasing more keeps people stuck—and what actually moves you forward
Let’s be honest—most of us were taught that success looks like doing everything, all at once.
Long to-do lists? Productive.
Back-to-back meetings? Necessary.
Feeling overwhelmed? Just part of the job.
But what if all of that effort—every app, every late night, every fire drill—wasn’t helping you move forward?
What if it was just keeping you busy?
There’s a difference between being in motion and actually making progress.
And right now, a lot of people are stuck in the first one—burning energy, staying overwhelmed, and wondering why nothing feels different.
Let’s talk about it.
The Trap of More: Why We Confuse Activity with Progress
At first, “more” feels like the right thing to chase.
You show up early, stay late, and knock out dozens of micro tasks every day.
You keep your inbox clean. You juggle multiple projects. You respond to every ping.
And yet…
There’s still that nagging feeling that you’re behind.
That despite all the movement, you’re not really moving forward.
That’s because “more” isn’t always a growth strategy.
Most of the time, it’s a pattern.
And patterns don’t change results—they just loop you through the same cycle over and over again.
If your days feel full but your work doesn’t feel meaningful, this might be why.
The “More” Mindset: Looks Impressive, Drains Everything
Let’s break this down.
The “More” Mindset is what we’ve been sold for years. It’s everywhere in hustle culture and team dynamics.
It shows up as:
- Short-term thinking — pushing hard for fast wins, even if they don’t last
- Packed calendars — measuring success by how few open slots you have
- Hustle culture — equating burnout with commitment
- High-volume output — churning out more and more with less clarity
- Multitasking — trying to look efficient while splitting focus into pieces
- Fast decisions — skipping depth in favor of speed
- Constant noise — always reacting, never recalibrating
This mindset doesn’t always come from laziness or ego.
It comes from a fear of slowing down.
A fear that if you stop, everything will fall apart—or worse, someone might think you’re not doing enough.
But here’s the truth most people avoid:
More is not the answer.
It’s often the distraction.
What “Better” Actually Looks Like
Now let’s flip the script.
The “Better” Mindset isn’t louder.
It’s not about pushing harder or being constantly available.
It’s quieter. Sharper. Longer-lasting.
It looks like:
- Focused work that solves real problems, not just fills time
- Clear priorities that help you say no with confidence
- Strategic thinking that builds toward long-term wins
- Intentional time where deep work is protected
- Meaningful progress measured in outcomes, not hours
- Real growth that isn’t just visible—it’s sustainable
Doing better isn’t about being slower.
It’s about working in a way that actually pays off.
And once you start operating this way, you’ll realize how much time you’ve been spending on things that never really mattered.
A Real-World Example: Helping a Team Escape the “More” Loop
Here’s a story from a real team I worked with—not a perfect case study, but a very human one.
A startup’s product team was stuck in constant churn.
They were behind on a major release, despite working nights and weekends.
The meetings never ended. Feedback was chaotic.
Everyone was trying hard—yet missing every key milestone.
They assumed they needed more tracking tools, more check-ins, more urgency.
What they really needed was a reset.
Instead of throwing more tools at them, we started with a simple time audit.
We looked at where energy was going, not just where hours were spent.
What we found was clear:
- 60% of team hours were being spent in meetings—most of them status updates
- Priorities were changing weekly, sometimes daily
- People were spending so much time “aligning” that nothing was actually being built
Everyone was exhausted. No one was clear. And it showed.
We made a few critical shifts:
- Cut four recurring meetings
- Replaced daily standups with a 5-minute async check-in format
- Created 3-hour blocks of protected, uninterrupted time every day
- Picked one priority initiative per sprint—and committed to it
- Started measuring progress in meaningful outcomes, not tasks completed
Within three weeks:
- The team delivered their most stable release yet
- They had fewer bugs, less rework, and better morale
- People stopped working late and started feeling proud of their work again
Nothing fancy. Just smarter structure. Better decisions.
Less noise. More actual progress.
Five Sharp Questions That Will Break the Loop
You don’t need a 30-day challenge to shift how you work.
You just need to ask better questions—before saying yes to another task.
Try these:
- Is this urgent—or just loud?
- Urgency creates pressure. Impact creates value.
- Am I solving a problem—or just checking a box?
- Be honest about what matters.
- If I had only three hours today, what would I do first?
- That’s probably your real priority.
- What can I remove without any major consequence?
- Subtraction often reveals the work that counts.
- What would I do differently if results—not speed—were the goal?
- That answer is your path forward.
Tools That Help You Do Better, Not More
This isn’t about working harder.
It’s about shifting how you think.
If you want support, these are some of the most powerful, high-impact resources available right now:
Podcast: The Tim Ferriss Show – Episode with Greg McKeown
In this episode, bestselling author Greg McKeown (author of Essentialism) breaks down how to say no gracefully, protect your time, and pursue what matters most.
It’s not productivity talk—it’s clarity talk.
This episode is packed with personal stories, mindset shifts, and tools you can use immediately.
Episode title: “How to Focus on the Essential and Eliminate Everything Else”
Host: Tim Ferriss
Guest: Greg McKeown
Find it on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or tim.blog
Documentary: The Minimalists – Less Is Now
This Netflix documentary explores how the obsession with “more” doesn’t just clutter our homes—but clutters our minds, calendars, and priorities.
It’s a bold and honest look at the emotional weight of always chasing more, and how choosing less (with purpose) can change how we live and work.
Title: The Minimalists: Less Is Now
Created by: Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus
Streaming on: Netflix
Book: The One Thing by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan
This book helps you cut through the noise, identify your most important goal, and build real momentum by focusing on one thing at a time.
It’s about clarity, not complexity—and it’s one of the simplest ways to make better decisions that actually stick.
Title: The One Thing
Authors: Gary Keller & Jay Papasan
Available on: Amazon, Audible, or your local bookstore
Tool: No-Meeting Mondays
This popular workplace strategy gives teams a full day each week for uninterrupted deep work—no meetings, no context-switching, no constant pings.
It helps people reset, focus, and actually move the work forward.
Practice: No-Meeting Mondays
Why it works: Builds structure for deep focus and long-term output
How to start: Block off Mondays company-wide and set communication boundaries
TED Talk: Quantity vs. Quality by Landon Ni
A short, powerful TEDx talk that challenges the idea that volume equals value.
It offers a thoughtful take on how real growth comes from doing fewer things—but doing them with more care and depth.
Talk: Quantity vs. Quality
Speaker: Landon Ni
Platform: TEDxYouth
Watch on: TED.com or YouTube
These aren’t trends.
They’re signals that the way we work is finally evolving—for the better.
What Are You Really Carrying?
You don’t need more apps.
You don’t need another dashboard.
You don’t need to fill your calendar until there’s nothing left.
You don’t need to chase speed just to feel productive.
What you need is time that reflects your values.
Work that leads somewhere real.
A direction that helps you build instead of constantly scramble.
And the space to think clearly—without feeling guilty about it.
This isn’t about doing less just to feel good.
This is about building something worth showing up for.
You can’t think clearly when you’re constantly rushing.
You can’t build deeply when you’re always reacting.
You can’t create momentum if your energy is scattered across a hundred tiny things.
Doing more might get applause.
But doing better gets results.
So before you rush into another week, ask yourself:
Are you spending your energy trying to prove how much you can carry— or finally deciding what’s actually worth carrying at all?
Download the Infographic
If this resonated and you want a simple visual reminder of everything we just covered,you can download the full “Do More vs. Do Better” infographic as a PDF.
It’s easy to keep nearby—whether you're building a business, leading a team, or just trying to work smarter every day.
