What Should You Choose Between Quality and Quantity?
Addressing the long-running debate on quantity or quality, whether you need to make a choice between the two for posting content online
Before we address the topic, let’s check the definition of both terms in Merriam Webster dictionary,
Quantity is the aspect in which a thing is measurable in terms of greater, less, or equal or of increasing or decreasing magnitude
So basically, quantity could be determinate or indefinite, but it’s the same for everyone. Two hot dogs are two hot dogs for you as well as your friend. You would not have to debate about it.
Quality can be defined as the degree of excellence
From the above definition, it is crystal clear that the nature of quality is certainly not objective. The perception of a hot dog can vary from one person to another. One might find it extremely delicious, whereas someone else would find the same hot dog as so-so in taste. You can have a disagreement with your friend on the taste.
Quality can kill your vibe
“Perfect is the enemy of good”
— Voltaire
How often do we find ourselves over-judging our own work? For instance, when I started writing I would think twice even before showing it to anyone else.
Oh, I need to make it better, else people will laugh at me!
Let’s say you write an article, you run a check a couple of times. But, if you sleep on it thinking about the scope of improvement to reach perfection, it will never be any better. That’s your insecurity which doesn’t allow you to share your work with the world. It’s only an excuse that will leave your task unfinished.
People who keep aiming for perfection, get sucked into the abyss of their own disappointment. That is the worst thing that can happen to a creator because perfection is a myth. As we know that quality is something that is to be perceived, there will never be any upper limit to perfection. What you think is decent quality might be perfect for someone else.
So, after you write a draft, you don’t have to keep editing it a million times before you hit the publish button. It’s not a math problem to be solved and arrive at an answer that will get you the top grade in your exam. Just think of it as an art exam where you will be judged, not by a single teacher but many. The judgements of those many will vary.
Quantity leads to discoverability
High discoverability is one of the biggest boons of the 21st century. With the advent of the internet, the rate at which your work can get shared is unimaginable. But, this gives an equal chance to show their work. Anyone can make a video and share it on Youtube. Everyone can pose like a model on Instagram.
So why should I especially follow you?
Publishing more content will only increase your odds of getting discovered in the online fair.
The Pareto principle states that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes.
That means if you upload 100 videos, 80% of the views will come on 20 videos. But, you will never know which one out of those 100 will be the 20 videos. Uploading 100 videos will only increase the odds for the results. Hence, more videos will lead to more views.
Quantity leads to Quality
One of the biggest advantages of quantity is the quick feedback mechanism. The more content you exhibit, the more feedback you will receive. Here, I would like to discount the trolls and consider only constructive criticism. The feedback will offer insights into your work and acting upon those insights will, in turn, lead to improvement in your task when you come back at it for the next time.
In a world that is inundated with content every single minute, the feedback look is essential to make those quick changes in your task when you come at it the next time. This process of continuous refinement will eventually lead to enhancement in quality.
So, if someone with an open mind starts making even a pathetic quality of content, he or she will gradually make improvements in the task. The period of improvement may differ for each person.
Therefore, the quantity will lead to quality.
Frequency matters
“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times”
-Bruce Lee
Stephen King has a ritual of writing at least 6 pages in a day. Not only has it made him produce more than 80 novels, but the process of repetition for years has helped him gain mastery over the task.
Dan Brown wrote his first novel, Digital Fortress in 1998. After that, he came up with two more and had limited success, selling less than 10,000 copies each. When his fourth novel, hit the shelves of the bookstores and became the bestseller, his previous novels also gained attention. At one time in 2004, all four of his novels were on the New York Times list. If not the 4th book, it would have been the 10th.
Similarly, taking one photograph a day will make you a better photographer than waiting for the best shot for a month. Performing the task frequently and analyzing it will only gain you more understanding(feedback) and improvement.
Which one should you choose?
Both factors come from a different universe. So the question of choosing one does not arise at all. Its quantity and quality, that are both required to take your game to the next level.
If you are focusing only on the quantity, with a closed mind, without making any required improvements, your work will suffer. It can even lead to burnout. Gaining traction on the internet is a long term game and burnout is the last thing you would want.
If you focus only on the quality, then it may lead to an obsession that will stop you from producing more content. The desire to create a masterpiece will cause an obstruction in finishing the task itself.
Do I have to put out content every day?
The answer to that would be yes and no, depending on the kind of content. Making content that is informational, might take more time to research the topic, structure it, and then compiling. It could take a week. But, if you are making a journal or a vlog, you could do it more frequently. All that matters is the frequency, but it could differ based on the nature of the content. Whether it is daily or weekly.
Key Takeaways
- Perfect is the enemy of good. Starting and finishing the task is more important than leaving the job unfinished in pursuit of a mythical grade called perfection
- 20% of your work will bring 80% of the outcome. Increasing quantity will only increase your odds of getting discovered.
- Quantity will eventually lead to improvement in the quality as the feedback mechanism will help you to get more insights into your work.
- You do not have to make a choice between the two as both as equally important, but the frequency may differ, depending on the type of content.
Here’s an article I wrote that you might find interesting,
