Quantity vs. Quality: Which matters more for growth?

Which skills need more practice?

This is the third article in the BE Series on BEing Skillful.

Since we’ve been exploring this topic for a couple of weeks now, you probably have some evidence of what’s working—and what’s not working as well as you’d hoped. Maybe you set aside time each week to practice. Maybe you even scheduled it. And maybe you thought you’d be further along by now.

As we’ve discussed before, the only thing that produces results is action. And action can be split into two camps: quantity and quality.

• Are you doing enough practice actions to achieve the results you want? If not, you may need to dial up the number of reps, the calls, or the attempts you’re making.
• Or is the quality of your actions sufficient? Sometimes the way you practice—your format, your timing, your materials, or even the people you involve—matters more than how often you do it.

This week, here’s how you can assess and adjust:

1. Review your practice log (or your calendar) from the past two weeks. Count the actual time or reps you’ve put in.
2. Ask yourself: “Do I need more volume, or do I need to refine my approach?”
3. Make one change—either increase the number of actions, or improve the way you’re practicing by switching your method, tools, or partner.
4. Check back in next week with yourself to see what impact that one adjustment made.

Bring some grace and patience to this inquiry. You’re not doing anything wrong—you’re gathering information. It’s all part of the process.

Now, go take a closer look!