Time to read: 3 minutes
Article at a glance:
- Trying harder at the wrong thing often leads to frustration, burnout, and repeated mistakes, not better results.
- Progress starts with reflection: understanding what’s actually happening before jumping to solutions.
- Alignment matters! When work fits your strengths and wiring, things feel more natural and effective.
- Friction, repeated mistakes, and lack of progress are signals it may be time to pivot, not push harder.
Think about a time when something didn’t go the way you wanted it to.
Was your instinct to double down and try harder, or was it to try something different?
A lot of us automatically respond to challenges by doing more of what we’re already doing. We might get caught in the “blood, sweat, and tears’ mentality and believe more effort = more results?
Sometimes, more effort actually makes things worse because it turns out we're just doing more of the wrong thing. Usually, if something isn’t working, it’s not because we aren’t trying hard enough. It’s because we need to do something different.
How Trying Harder Can Make Things Worse
We’ve tried the doubling-down route, and we’ve learned that it’s a recipe for frustration.
Take production, for example. If we want to increase production in the clean room, we could simply try to work more quickly, hire more people, run the machines faster, and simply do more of what we’re doing.
But that can burn us (and the machines) out. Instead, what if we figure out what’s getting in the way of producing more?
What if we asked better questions?
Are the machines running optimally or do they need some upgrades and maintenance? Is the floor designed so that the work flows and we’re not constantly wasting time looking for tools or supplies, or moving things around?
Questions like these lead us away from doing more of what’s not working, and toward real progress.
Knowing When to Pivot
How do you know when you’re trying too hard, or doing too much of the wrong thing?
Here are some signals:
- Frustration.
- Friction with team members.
- Making the same mistakes over and over. (Different mistakes mean we’re learning. The same mistakes could mean we’re in a rut.)
- You’re trying harder, but nothing’s improving.
- You aren’t asking questions.
These are just a few signals that could indicate that you’re doing too much of the wrong thing, and that pivoting could be helpful.
If you’re noticing a lot of these, try shifting gears!
Instead of Trying Harder, Try This:
You’ve heard the adage “work smarter, not harder,” which is true, but it doesn’t exactly tell us what to do.
What does it mean to work smarter?
Reflection and Understanding
You can’t change anything if you don’t understand where you are and how you got there. It’s too easy to skip straight to a solution and end up adjusting the wrong thing, which is just another version of trying harder.
Instead, observe. Ask “why” a bunch of times, and gather perspectives. Do this as a group and on your own.
Here are more great questions to ask yourself:
- Where am I feeling friction?
- What pattern keeps repeating?
- What have I already tried, and what is it producing?
- What might I be missing?
- What assumptions am I making?
- What feels natural here, and what feels forced?
- What gives me energy in this work, and what drains it?
- Am I solving the real problem, or just the most visible one? How do I tell the difference between the two?
- Where is the bottleneck: the process, the communication, the environment, or me?
If you’re struggling with friction in your role, stay in conversation with others on your team and your culture and admin leads. If it’s something about a process that isn’t working, talk with your team and other teams who experience the ripple effects of your work.
Develop Your Three Circles
Often, when we’re doing the wrong thing, we’re not in our Three Circles. The closer we are to our Three Circles, the more things tend to flow. (We never expect perfection, just improvement. We never want to white knuckle it through work!)
Work with others to learn where you’re most helpful and where you seem to be wired. Look for opportunities to contribute. Pay attention to what feels easy and what feels like drudgery.
Develop skills and pursue your interests so that if a need arises for that skill, you’re ready to be helpful.
Note: Sometimes, trying too hard means we’re trying to be helpful at the wrong thing. We might care more about feeling helpful than being helpful. This is where other people can help us see more clearly!
A Different Way Forward
Trying harder isn’t the problem. The problem is trying harder at the wrong thing.
When something isn’t working, it’s not a sign to push harder. It’s an invitation to pause, reflect, and get curious about what’s actually happening.
So the next time you feel the instinct to double down, take a step back first.
Ask better questions. Look for a different path.
Because sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is try something different!
