Less is More: Quality Over Quantity

Every now and then, I remind myself that this platform truly is a blog, and it’s nice to share some insights I’ve gained over my career as a VR developer, entrepreneur, and blogger. My hope is that my experiences might resonate with others navigating similar paths. Today seems like a great day to dive into a new approach I’ve been experimenting with over the past few weeks.

If you’re familiar with my work, you know that Virtual Reality—or Mixed Reality, if we’re speaking Meta’s language—is a major passion of mine. This enthusiasm often leads me to juggle more projects than I probably should. From blogging and attending events to freelance gigs and personal innovations, my plate is usually overflowing. Initially, I had a habit of saying “yes” to nearly every opportunity, a strategy that had its perks. I enjoyed the variety and made decent progress across these endeavors. However, there was a downside—being stretched thin was stressful and made it hard to give each project the attention it truly needed.

A few months back, spurred by some thought-provoking books like “Antifragile” and a few personal realizations, I started to rethink my strategy. A new guiding principle has emerged in my professional life: it’s more effective to focus on fewer projects that have significant impact than to spread myself too thin across many minor ones.

Social media was one of the first areas where this new mindset kicked in. I’ve always enjoyed sharing interesting XR (Extended Reality) articles on platforms like Twitter—and let’s be honest, I still call it Twitter, not X. Sharing articles felt like a service to the community by keeping everyone informed. My routine was simple: read, click, hashtag, and post. However, I noticed my posts were largely ignored. It wasn’t about collecting likes, but realizing that if nobody reads your posts, the effort is wasted. I learned that the algorithm doesn’t favor links to external sites, especially if they disrupt the platform’s engagement. Sharing content that ends up unnoticed was not yielding any new followers or connections—essentially, I was investing my precious time for nothing.

Adjusting my approach turned out to be essential. I stopped sharing every interesting find and concentrated on what’s truly significant, aiming to make each post more compelling. I’m not interested in inciting heated debates just for algorithmic favor, but I do try to make my updates more engaging and informative. The payoff? Better engagement and new connections.

This philosophy extends across my professional endeavors. Previously, I’d pressure myself into churning out at least one article a week—or sharing updates about trivial happenings like holiday plans or minor XR software hacks. These posts mirrored my Twitter experience; despite the effort, they offered little value and generated minimal return in terms of followers or reputation. Today, I’ve shifted focus to writing articles that are genuinely informative and worth both my time and my readers’. This approach sometimes results in significant impacts—like my detailed post on Android XR’s camera access, which earned my blog mentions in various online publications and boosted my SEO. Writing something impactful outweighs producing numerous lesser pieces.

In my development work, I’ve grown selective about the projects I take on. A single $100,000 project (alas, that’s team-wide, not just my share) carries more value than ten $10,000 gigs. Larger projects are likely to introduce you to influential clients, bring you portfolio-worthy achievements, and potentially grow your professional skills significantly. For instance, the VRROOM concert platform, which I worked on extensively, taught me more about development and management than various smaller projects combined over the past few years.

Taking on any project incurs costs—especially time. Every task, big or small, demands a certain level of dedication. As I discovered, managing ten smaller projects means frequent contract negotiations, constant updates across the board, and recurring post-delivery concerns. Juggling these can be exhausting. While securing a large-scale project isn’t easy, and you can’t afford to dismiss smaller opportunities in VR’s current climate, choosing substantial projects when possible offers more rewards in the long run.

This isn’t groundbreaking advice for those familiar with Pareto’s principle—sometimes, it’s those 20% of highly relevant tasks that yield 80% of your results. While theoretical, this idea highlights the efficacy of focusing your energies on fewer tasks for maximum output.

Reading “Antifragile” reinforced the concept of life’s “non-linearities”—how a single significant act can outweigh numerous smaller efforts collectively. Dropping a big stone has a far greater immediate impact than scattering pebbles. Quality work can’t be overlooked; balancing numerous tasks often sacrifices it. By concentrating on fewer commitments, you enhance both the quality and outcome of your work, which can bolster your reputation and self-satisfaction.

It’s not just about quality, though; quantity plays a role in success, too. A standalone extraordinary achievement—unless it’s something legendary like inventing CTRL+ALT+DELETE—won’t suffice. For instance, I notice people who achieve a viral tweet may not gain significant followings because their engagement isn’t consistent. Regularly delivering quality content fosters familiarity and connection, which gradually builds a responsive audience.

This notion is equally applicable to networking. I now strategically attend fewer, high-impact events, like CES, ensuring I maximize the experience and emerging opportunities. While running myself ragged, the event was enriching, resulting in meaningful ties, a better XR industry grasp, and a broader YouTube audience. However, attending events sporadically every couple of years wouldn’t yield the same benefits.

A few years back at a Milan event, I sought advice from Francesco Ronchi, Synesthesia’s CEO, on effective networking. His insight was simple: regular attendance at industry events enhances connection-making chances, crucial for deeper relationships and collaborations. Genuine connections often require multiple engagements before evolving from simple meetups to professional bonds. This marriage of quality and quantity is vital for enduring success.

Finally, focusing on the long-term impact alongside quality and quantity is essential. For instance, weighing the professional benefits of creating a viral LinkedIn post with short-lived engagements doesn’t equate to career impactfulness over the next decade.

Amid my already unusual workload, I contemplate tasks with potential long-term career influence. As I’ve previously penned in my VR career articles, doing impactful, fewer projects rather than numerous superficial ones is advantageous. But identifying and acting on opportunities to undertake a transformative project or attain a pivotal career step is even better.

These overarching, future-focused tasks, albeit slow, are pivotal. They guide me strategically in seeking significant career advancements. Yet, it’s crucial to define what you want from a career to identify pertinent tasks for growth.

So, that’s my spiel for today. In a nutshell: focus on fewer, impactful endeavors. This strategy minimizes stress and maximizes value for both you and your work’s recipients.

Consider jotting that down on a sticky note—it could serve you well during crucial moments of your day-to-day life…

While these musings may or may not resonate universally, I hope they shed some light for anyone exploring their career path. If they do, feel free to share your experiences in the comments (or share this post on social media, but try to make it interesting!).