Quality and Quantity

This Article is in the Creativity category.

Quality versus Quantity ?

Recently I’ve been struggling to manage my time, between studies, socializing on Google+, writing and having fun.

As I had to pass some exams, I didn’t get much time and willpower to write anything this month, but still I wondered : Is it possible to achieve both Quality and Quantity in your work ?

I usually tend to take my time to craft a good piece of work, starting with thinking about what I want to write about, then writing several drafts with pen and paper, then editing on computer, and finally spending some time formating the whole thing to be publish ready.

One could say I compromise quantity for the sake of quality.
This is the usual concept : You can’t have both so you have to sacrifice one for the sake of the other.

That might be true and yet, I see a number of blogger, businesses, artists that manage to work both in quality and quantity. How do they manage to do that ?

That’s how I realized that balancing quality and quantity is not just a 2 way street, there are other factors that will influence both, and it is therefore possible to achieve both Quality and Quantity in your work.

Expertise

Expertise is probably the main factor influencing Quality and Quantity. I like to describe myself as a fledgling writer, as this is an activity I just began few months ago.
That means the quality of my work will still be significantly lower compared to more experienced writers, and it will take me more time to achieve the same kind of work, for instance I might spend many hours working on a single blog post which won’t be that satisfying in the end.
Best example of an “Expert” coming to my mind is Seth Godin, his experience as a writer and marketer enable him to publish daily bits of insights on his blog, write several books during a single year.
How to increase your expertise ? It’s not innate, you have to train yourself,
practice more and more, and submit your work to the judgement of your peers, so you can know how to improve.

Time

Obviously, the amount of time you spend on an activity will also influence your results.
Time is a valuable commodity, and is very scarce, that’s why you need to manage it the best you can, even if it’s hard at times.
I don’t spend much time working on my blog overall, and that’s why even though i’m quite happy with the results i get so far, I also know I could get more out of it if i increased the time spent on it.
If I increase the time i spend on it, I can increase both the quality and the quantity of my work. It means more time to write, therefore more practice and more posts to publish.
How to get more time ? Get rid of your bad habits, focus on essential activities, don’t try to multitask, plan your time.

Commitment

As blogging is not my main activity, not even a source of revenue, but rather a hobby (for now), I lack the incentives to commit more into it.
My experience is that I work best when there is some kind of pressure, for instance with a time constraint when the deadline is drawing near.
More generally freelancers work under pressure because they know the quality and quantity of their work will directly affect their income, and if your website is your main source of income, it’s more likely you’ll put all your heart and soul into creating the best work your capable of.
How can you commit more into your activity ? First be sure you’re doing something you enjoy, otherwise you won’t be commited. For a quick fix, you can set up yourself some deadlines or announce publicly what you plan to do, using time or social pressure. The more extreme solution, of course, is to quit everything to become a freelancer.

Numbers

“Strength in numbers” is also true for work, the more talented people are working on something, the more they will be able to increase their output, provided there is a good synergy between them. That’s how for instance, tech news blogs are running like The Verge, they can publish several quality articles a day by involving several talented contributors.
When you are working alone on a project like I am, obviously you won’t be able to get “strength in numbers”, but it’s important to remember, if you want to take your business to the next level, that associating yourself with talented people will enable you to increase exponentially the quality and quantity of your work. Also introducing “guest” content alongside your own, is a way to add value and form new connexions with valuable people.

If you see any other ways, don’t hesitate to share !

As my semester is over, and as the next one won’t be (I hope) as time consuming as the former, I will probably take this opportunity to upgrade my workflow both in quality and quantity, here on The Smart Business Cat. I’ll certainly spend more time on it, commit myself more into it, and of course continue to get more expertise !

What about you ? How do you manage the quality and the quantity of your work ? Consider sharing your stories in the comments

About Baptiste Laurenge

I'm a Business Student and a writer on www.thesmartbusinesscat.com , where you can learn with me about the skills you need to be successful in the Digital Era.