Quantity Over Quality (how to get better at anything)
It’s a bit obvious, but the more you do something, the better you get at that thing. This highlights the quantity over quality principle.
But it’s so much more than this.
A quantity-first approach doesn’t care much about looks or success. And ironically, this can be exactly what’s needed to create something beautiful.
Quantity harnesses the power of repetition and practice. You learn. And you get more chances. And you can get better at anything.
Too much focus on quality (at the wrong time) can lead to stress and slow growth. There’s a time and a way to create something truly great.
So this is my guide — an approach to trying quantity first.
Now let’s do this!
Table of Contents Show
What Is Quantity Over Quality?
Quantity over quality means focusing on the volume of something rather than its condition or subjective value.
Quantity prioritizes repetition and practice. It’s a solid way to discover innovative ideas and sharpen skills.
But let’s dig deeper. Why does this method works so well?
Why Quantity Makes You Better
“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.”
The Math is on Your Side
We’re playing a numbers game here.
Bell curves and the law of averages support our scheme.
Basic math tells us that the more samples we have, the more likely that one (or more) of them will be objectively better.
It’s Skill Building
When we focus on quantity over quality, we’re really focusing on practicing.
And as you know, practice makes perfect (well, makes better, at least).
So this is probably the most obvious reason why the quantity game works so well. You’re essentially honing your craft and building new skills.
Explore more:
➤ 10 Creative Skills to Be Unstoppable
Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity deals with our brain’s innate abilities to change, learn and adapt.
It’s a fascinating science that basically says our brains are super amazing and we can learn anything or improve on any skill.
So we can all throw that whole notion of being “born with it” out the window.
It’s Low Pressure
The pressure of creating something high-quality can lead to lower-quality work.
While pressure can sometimes be good (such as using urgency to gamify stuff), the freedom of focusing solely on quantity is liberating.
It’s like dancing when no one is looking. It’s cathartic. So self pressure, be gone.
It Supports Creative Flow
Creative flow is when you’re so immersed in the task or project at hand, that you lose track of time and space.
(and quality)
Getting lost in doing (in quantity) can be a great way to spark a flow state.
Focus On Quantity — Get Better At Anything (4 steps)
1. Mindset + Mood
Step one is all about mindset.
We need to shift focus away from qualitative output and put our attention on quantitative value.
For this, I like to adopt a creative mindset that’s focused on play and fun over perfectionism. It’s helpful to imagine how you made art or did things when you were a child. Most likely, you were driven by imagination and fun.
Simply being aware of your mindset (and any limiting beliefs about quality you may have) is an important first step.
Awareness mixed with intention is key.
Explore more:
➤ Why Mindset Matters So Much
2. Make Stuff (but don’t worry about finishing)
This is the main stage.
This is where we’re focusing solely on output. The goal here is to create as many things as possible related to your target skill or project.
So, here’s how to create and do things for quantity first:
Choose a project or skill
Practice and create based on feeling, intuition and fun
Focus on output and quantity (don’t worry about finishing or quality)
Rinse and repeat
If something strikes a chord, I’ll double down on it and practice more discipline and perseverance. But I’m not committed to any one thing or its quality.
I’m just exploring.
3. Step Away (+ forget)
After you’ve created a good number of things, it’s time to step away.
Stepping away is a great strategy to forget what you did and unlock some much needed objectivity.
So forget about making things and do something else. This could be for just an hour or maybe a whole week (or even more).
The goal is to sort of forget your first batch of ideas and half-finished mini projects. So when you come back later, you can better measure their true quality.
4. Come Back + Reflect
After you’ve cleared your mind and can't quite remember all the things you made, it’s time to analyze them.
This is my favorite part.
For example, I love to make music. And I keep my ideas stored in voice memos and quick recording apps. Sometimes it’s a short melody idea, other times is a full song structure. But I love to forget about them, only to come back later and hear them for “the first time”.
It’s a great source of self-inspiration.
But it’s important to keep circling through these steps. You want to keep creating and keep practicing.
Over time, with this quantity-first approach, you’ll be making higher quality things in less and less time.
Explore more:
➤ 15 Creative Outlets to Try
Ideas to Practice Quantity Over Quality
Art and painting
Songwriting challenge
Filming and making short-form videos
Photography
Social media and content creation
Talking in front of the camera
Using a creative software (such as Adobe)
Origami
Cake decorating
Woodworking
Graphic design
Want More? Nice. Here’s More.
