"What's new?" is an interesting and broadening eternal question, but one which, if pursued exclusively, results
only in an endless parade of trivia and fashion, the silt of tomorrow.
I would like, instead, to be concerned with the question "What is best?," a question which cuts deeply rather than broadly, a question whose answers tend to move the silt downstream.”
— Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Which way do you go? Because at some point, you have to prioritise one over the other.
If your life is about doing the most in the shortest possible amount of time, Quality will suffer. That’s just the way it is. As Quantity goes up, Quality – hard to describe, but rightness and beauty and excellence – goes down.
Not only that, the chase for Quantity alone typically means you’ll be at risk of falling into struggle, over-control, pushing, force, overwhelm. The Quality of who you are suffers.
Of course – an over the top concern for Quality can become perfectionism: where Quantity gets reduced almost to zero because nothing is ever good enough to be finished.
But the critical point here is never so much about what you do, but how you do it.
If you recognise that Quality is important to you, you may find a different stance to live life from. A foundation not of speed and haste and forever chasing the next goal, but one of appreciation for a deeper connection with source. That source of Quality – that which nourishes your being and what you do, everywhere.
The great thing is that once you have a rock-solid connection to this source, you most certainly can speed up and get going faster. But it is never at the loss of Quality.
Watch the Quantity trap. While that's what seems to be driving the world, it doesn't make it a good idea.