#GemSessions is a weekly LinkedIn blog series sharing hidden gems & lessons learned from the gym, and how they can apply to other aspects of life. I hope you enjoy these quick reads and it sparks some great conversation & thoughts! This is the audio component to that written text!

SOURCE: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/gemsessions-more-better-justin-ochoa/

There was a point in time where I, like many others, believed that more of something was always better.

More of what?

Well, depending on what stage in life I was in at the time, that could be any number of things. And those continue to vary over the years.

The truth is… more is NOT always better. Better is better.

The earliest time I can remember realizing this came in my mid-twenties, when I thought more weight on the barbell was always a better thing. It was probably the surgery I had on my spine at age 27 that was my lightbulb moment for realizing how wrong I was about that mindset.

Carrying that simple lesson over to business, relationships and life was a no-brainer. This is also something I think can be a crucial lesson to learn in the current state of our society. You know, in the midst of a global pandemic and all…

Here are some examples to paint a picture.

30 minutes of nonstop playing with my kids is better than 2 hours with my kids as they watch a movie and I browse LinkedIn from across the room.

1,000 Instagram followers that enjoy & engage in my content is better than 25,000 followers that I purchased and have zero interaction with me or my business.

Setting 5 meetings with really promising prospects that understand how your product/service can benefit them immensely is better than setting 20 meetings with random prospects that may not even have a use for your business.

Scoring 15 points in a basketball game that you win is way better than scoring 50 points in a basketball game that you lose.

You get the nuts and bolts of it.

So, my point is that during this time of isolation, uncertainty and stress it may not be the best time to start to pile on all of these side projects that you have had on hold because you think more is better. Yes, we have a lot of spare time now compared to two months ago but recklessly taking on all kinds of new tasks and spreading yourself too thin during an already stressful time probably won’t allow you to get the absolute best out of those projects. Taking it a step further, adding projects to your life that you have the time for now, but know you won’t have time for when things go back to “normal” is setting yourself up for failure.

With that being said, it’s not a time to sit around and feel sorry for ourselves either. Getting nothing accomplished is also not a great option. So, we apply the better is better method.

Here is my current strategy. Addition by subtraction. I’ve audited my time and removed all things that are not in line with my long term vision. If I see a task or project that does fit that vision, I’ve added it to replace what I removed. If not, I’ve left that time open or allotted more time to the tasks I chose.

Now my energy is targeted towards less items, but that energy is laser-focused on those things that I decided really mattered. This is providing much better quality to those things. I feel awesome clarity and optimism in a really dark time, which is why I wanted to share this message and will continue to share these #GemSessions weekly.

Hopefully this motivates or inspires you in some way and helps you get the most out of this COVID-19 situation and beyond.