--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the more you try to do, the less you…" description: "\"“the more you try to do, the less you actually accomplish.”\" — Chris McChesney" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/chris-mcchesney-33021_success_the-more-you-try-to-do-the-less-you-actu_1013727.jpg" --- # the more you try to do, the less you actually accomplish. ![“the more you try to do, the less you actually accomplish.” quote by Chris McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/chris-mcchesney-33021_success_the-more-you-try-to-do-the-less-you-actu_1013727.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/chris-mcchesney-33021_success_the-more-you-try-to-do-the-less-you-actu_1013727.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/chris-mcchesney-33021_success_the-more-you-try-to-do-the-less-you-actu_1013727.jpg) > ““the more you try to do, the less you actually accomplish.”” [Chris McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcchesney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Attempting many tasks dilutes focus, reducing overall achievement. **In simple terms:** Too many tasks lower productivity. Key Takeaway Prioritize and limit tasks. Themes productivity focus overcommitment Mood analytical pragmatic Type practical motivational When to use this quote - project management - daily planning - team coordination - strategic reviews Key Concepts time management efficiency goal setting Questions to Reflect On - Which tasks truly advance your main goal? - How can you say no without guilt? A Different Perspective Sometimes breadth yields unexpected synergies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [I proved to myself that if I believe in something and set my mind to it I could actually accomplish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salma-hayek/i-proved-to-myself-that-if-i-believe-in-something-and-set-my-mind-to/) [Salma Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salma-hayek/) > [If you try to over-control what you think you will achieve, you'll miss what you can actually accomplish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-wolff/if-you-try-to-over-control-what-you-think-you-will-achieve-you-ll/) Patrick Wolff > [The best meetings get real work done. When your people learn that your meetings actually accomplish something, they will stop making excuses to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-constantine/the-best-meetings-get-real-work-done-when-your-people-learn-that-your/) [Larry Constantine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-constantine/) > [“You can actually accomplish all that you desire in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-can-actually-accomplish-all-that-you-desire-in-life/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I think that I'd like to try to be a superwoman and have kids and work, so we'll see if I can actually accomplish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooklyn-decker/i-think-that-i-d-like-to-try-to-be-a-superwoman-and-have-kids-and/) [Brooklyn Decker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooklyn-decker/) > [“I have proved to myself again and again, that if I believe in something and set my mind to it, I could actually accomplish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-n-harris/i-have-proved-to-myself-again-and-again-that-if-i-believe-in/) [José N. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-n-harris/) > [“The more you try to do, the less you actually accomplish.” They elaborate that execution should be aimed at a small number of “wildly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-more-you-try-to-do-the-less-you-actually-accomplish-they/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“When you accomplish the impossible then you can achieve anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/when-you-accomplish-the-impossible-then-you-can-achieve-anything/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [“Each day I will accomplish one thing on my to list.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/each-day-i-will-accomplish-one-thing-on-my-to-list/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [There's a lot that I want to accomplish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-s-a-lot-that-i-want-to-accomplish/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Everything that I have ever hoped to accomplish, she has done and done better than anyone I have ever seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/everything-that-i-have-ever-hoped-to-accomplish-she-has-done-and-done/) [Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/) > [We have to think about the future and what it is we want to accomplish from this party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-bernice-johnson/we-have-to-think-about-the-future-and-what-it-is-we-want-to/) [Eddie Bernice Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-bernice-johnson/) > [To accomplish much you must first lose everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/to-accomplish-much-you-must-first-lose-everything/) [Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/) > [There's things that you want to accomplish, but to do that you have to work. That's the name of the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-schwarber/there-s-things-that-you-want-to-accomplish-but-to-do-that-you-have-to/) [Kyle Schwarber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-schwarber/) > [Learn to see the big picture. Often times we get tunnel vision and lose sight of the big picture and what we're really trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cheeke/learn-to-see-the-big-picture-often-times-we-get-tunnel-vision-and/) [Robert Cheeke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cheeke/) ## More by Chris McChesney > [“We believe the principles of execution have always been focus, leverage, engagement, and accountability. Are”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/we-believe-the-principles-of-execution-have-always-been-focus/) [Chris McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcchesney/) > [“Discipline 1: Focus on the wildly important requires you to go against your basic wiring as a leader and focus on less so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/discipline-1-focus-on-the-wildly-important-requires-you-to-go-against/) [Chris McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcchesney/) > [“Most people fall in the middle between the models and the resisters. They represent your greatest potential leverage for improving performance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/most-people-fall-in-the-middle-between-the-models-and-the-resisters/) [Chris McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcchesney/) > [“Sometimes, choosing your WIG is about more than selecting the aspect of your business where the greatest results are desired; it’s about a WIG…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/sometimes-choosing-your-wig-is-about-more-than-selecting-the-aspect/) [Chris McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcchesney/) > [“The secret to Discipline 4, in addition to the repeated cadence, is that team members create their own commitments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/the-secret-to-discipline-4-in-addition-to-the-repeated-cadence-is/) [Chris McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcchesney/) > [“In fact, in our initial surveys we learned that only one employee in seven could name even one of their organization’s most important goals.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/in-fact-in-our-initial-surveys-we-learned-that-only-one-employee-in/) [Chris McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcchesney/) > [“The cadence of accountability is a rhythm of regular and frequent meetings of any team that owns a wildly important goal. These meetings happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/the-cadence-of-accountability-is-a-rhythm-of-regular-and-frequent/) [Chris McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcchesney/) > [“Lead measures are quite different in that they are the measures of the most high-impact things your team must do to reach the goal.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/lead-measures-are-quite-different-in-that-they-are-the-measures-of/) [Chris McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcchesney/) > [“The kind of scoreboard that will drive the highest levels of engagement with your team will be one that is designed solely for (and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/the-kind-of-scoreboard-that-will-drive-the-highest-levels-of/) [Chris McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcchesney/) > [“Whenever you see a man on top of a mountain, you can be sure he didn’t fall there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/whenever-you-see-a-man-on-top-of-a-mountain-you-can-be-sure-he-didn-t/) [Chris McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcchesney/) > [“the highest level of performance always comes from people who are emotionally engaged and the highest level of engagement comes from knowing the score—that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/the-highest-level-of-performance-always-comes-from-people-who-are/) [Chris McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcchesney/) > [“managing a company by looking at financial data (lag measures) is the equivalent of “driving a car by looking in the rearview mirror.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/managing-a-company-by-looking-at-financial-data-lag-measures-is-the/) [Chris McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcchesney/) > [“If you ignore the urgent, it can kill you today. It’s also true, however, that if you ignore the important, it can kill you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/if-you-ignore-the-urgent-it-can-kill-you-today-it-s-also-true-however/) [Chris McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcchesney/) > [“A good lead measure has two basic characteristics: It’s predictive of achieving the goal and it can be influenced by the team members.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/a-good-lead-measure-has-two-basic-characteristics-it-s-predictive-of/) [Chris McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcchesney/) [Explore all 15 Chris McChesney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcchesney/) ## More Accomplish quotes > [Learn to see the big picture. Often times we get tunnel vision and lose sight of the big picture and what we're really trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cheeke/learn-to-see-the-big-picture-often-times-we-get-tunnel-vision-and/) [Robert Cheeke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cheeke/) > [You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. So you learn. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/you-know-by-the-time-you-reach-my-age-you-ve-made-plenty-of-mistakes/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I work every day. Sometimes I don't accomplish anything every day, but if I don't work every day, I get depressed and get afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-work-every-day-sometimes-i-don-t-accomplish-anything-every-day-but/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [God has given believers the responsibility of spreading the Gospel to all the world, and we need to use all at our disposal to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-epp/god-has-given-believers-the-responsibility-of-spreading-the-gospel-to/) [Theodore Epp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-epp/) > [ \[The Community's\] crosses and trials give me confidence. But I derive my hope above all, and most especially, from our utter incapacity, for it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-guerin/the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give-me-confidence-but-i-derive-my/) [Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-guerin/) > [There's things that you want to accomplish, but to do that you have to work. That's the name of the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-schwarber/there-s-things-that-you-want-to-accomplish-but-to-do-that-you-have-to/) [Kyle Schwarber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-schwarber/) > [To accomplish much you must first lose everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/to-accomplish-much-you-must-first-lose-everything/) [Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/) > [We have to think about the future and what it is we want to accomplish from this party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-bernice-johnson/we-have-to-think-about-the-future-and-what-it-is-we-want-to/) [Eddie Bernice Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-bernice-johnson/) > [Everything that I have ever hoped to accomplish, she has done and done better than anyone I have ever seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/everything-that-i-have-ever-hoped-to-accomplish-she-has-done-and-done/) [Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/) > [There's a lot that I want to accomplish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-s-a-lot-that-i-want-to-accomplish/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [For what we want to accomplish in the future, we have to be able to view everything from the eyes of the customer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-katz/for-what-we-want-to-accomplish-in-the-future-we-have-to-be-able-to/) [Karen Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-katz/) > [And for me the only way to live life is to grab the bull by the horns and call up recording studios and set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-frusciante/and-for-me-the-only-way-to-live-life-is-to-grab-the-bull-by-the-horns/) [John Frusciante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-frusciante/) > [A great tennis career is something that a 15-year-old normally doesn't have. I hope my example helps other teens believe they can accomplish things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/a-great-tennis-career-is-something-that-a-15-year-old-normally-doesn/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [Somebody once told me that if you laugh at a George Bush joke, or you send an email cartoon to your friends that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/somebody-once-told-me-that-if-you-laugh-at-a-george-bush-joke-or-you/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [One should not withdraw from individuals and commit to the community what they can accomplish by their own enterprise and industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-xi/one-should-not-withdraw-from-individuals-and-commit-to-the-community/) [Pope Pius XI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-xi/) Browse all 2,426 Accomplish quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“the more you try to do, the less you actually accomplish.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chris McChesney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/the-more-you-try-to-do-the-less-you-actually-accomplish/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accomplish" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/the-more-you-try-to-do-the-less-you-actually-accomplish/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/chris-mcchesney-33021_success_the-more-you-try-to-do-the-less-you-actu_1013727.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/chris-mcchesney-33021_success_the-more-you-try-to-do-the-less-you-actu_1013727.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/chris-mcchesney-33021_success_the-more-you-try-to-do-the-less-you-actu_1013727.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“the more you try to do, the less you actually accomplish.” — Chris McChesney", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Chris McChesney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcchesney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“the more you try to do,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/the-more-you-try-to-do-the-less-you-actually-accomplish/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcchesney/the-more-you-try-to-do-the-less-you-actually-accomplish/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```