Learning to Do More With Less
Learning to Do More with Less
Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion. In other words, just because you spend more time in the gym doesn’t mean you’re getting better. Development isn’t about quantity—it’s about quality.
Most players believe that to get ahead, they need more —more reps, more gym time, more shots. But in reality, the key to real improvement is maximizing the effectiveness of your training, not simply increasing the time you spend on it.
In an earlier article, I broke down the four key areas of development: fitness, skill, study, and mental training. This directly relates to your ability to hit all four areas without exhausting yourself. If you train smarter, you can make serious progress without burning out.
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The Power of Focus
Your goal should be to get the most out of your training in the shortest time possible by eliminating distractions and zoning in on what actually matters. More time in the gym often leads to wasted movement—not real progress. The mistake many athletes make is equating movement with improvement. We don’t want just movement—we want progress.
Try this: add constraints to your workouts
- Shorten them while increasing intensity and focus.
- Stick to a plan that eliminates fluff and forces you to be intentional.
- Track your work and hold yourself accountable for every rep.
When you have unlimited time, you tend to fill it with unproductive habits. But when you work with a set time limit, you’re forced to lock in and make every second count.
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The Importance of a Plan
Walking into the gym with no plan leads to mindless, inefficient workouts. The most effective athletes are precise. They know exactly what they’re working on and why.
Before your next workout, ask yourself:
- What specific skills am I improving today?
- How will I measure success in this session?
- What is my goal for this workout?
Once you start training with purpose, your results will skyrocket. More is not better. Better is better.
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Long-Term Growth > Short-Term Grind
Many players overestimate what they can accomplish in a single day and underestimate what they can accomplish in an entire offseason. Grinding for hours each day might feel productive, but over time, it often leads to burnout, frustration, and plateauing.
Why? Because we’ve convinced ourselves that more always equals better. Then, when results don’t come as expected, we wonder why—despite all the time we’ve put in. The truth is, time alone doesn’t lead to success—intentional, focused work does.
Shifting your mindset from more reps to better reps is what separates great players from average ones.
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No More Excuses
Becoming more efficient eliminates excuses. Instead of saying, I don’t have time to train today, you realize that 30 minutes of locked-in, focused work is better than two hours of mindless shooting.
Efficiency also creates balance. By training smarter, you gain more free time to recover, study the game, and develop the mental side of your performance.
At the end of the day, it’s not about how much you train—it’s about how well you train. Less time, more focus, better results.
