When Working More Is A Waste Of Time

Updated on
diminishing-returns-of-working-more-graph

This chart nails a truth every marketer needs: more hours ≠ more results. After a certain point, the output curve starts dipping. That’s not hustle—it’s waste.

The Marketing Lesson

Think of your campaigns like work hours. In the beginning, more effort equals more traction. But keep piling on stuff—emails, ads, “just one more tweak”—and returns flatten or crash.

Why It Works

  • Focus beats effort
  • Output follows the 80/20 rule
  • Simplicity scales better than complexity
  • Fatigue kills creativity
  • Optimization has a cap

Examples

  • Google limits meetings to 50 minutes to keep brains fresh
  • Basecamp works 4-day weeks in summer and sees higher productivity
  • Toyota’s lean manufacturing cut waste, boosting output without extra time
  • Ad fatigue shows up after too many impressions—proof more doesn’t always mean better

Analyzed by Swipebot

Loading analysis...

Command Palette

Search for a command to run...