Do less, so you can do it better

I am retired and was moved by the simplicity of starting a digital marketing agency.

Thanks for sharing this advice

Really inspiring read! I am also a solo developer currently building my first project, and reading about others' journeys here is very motivating. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you, I've learned a lot from you.

Thank you Courtland, you just taught me an important lesson at a critical moment.

This is harder than it sounds when you're shipping solo. The default is to add features because adding is easier than cutting. Most useful heuristic: 'would I miss this if it wasn't there?' If the answer is 'not really', it's noise. Cut it.

Love the approach !!!

This hit at the right time. I just launched a waitlist for my first SaaS and the temptation to be everywhere at once (Reddit, IH, ProductHunt, LinkedIn, Twitter) is real. Taking this as a sign to pick one channel and go deep. Thanks Courtland.

Totally agree. In the early stage, focus is basically a competitive advantage. It’s better to do one thing really well than spread yourself across multiple channels or features and end up doing everything average. Saying no is often what makes the difference.

I agree with Courtland Allen on this.

Focusing on one thing—one product, one channel, one problem—feels almost boring, but it’s probably the highest leverage move early on.

Trying to build and market multiple apps at the same time just spreads your attention too thin. You end up with a bunch of “okay” things instead of one thing that’s actually good.

That said, I think the hard part isn’t understanding this—it’s resisting the urge to do more.

There’s always a new idea, a new feature, a new platform to try.

Saying no consistently is harder than building.

In the early stage, focus is basically your only unfair advantage. If you’re doing 5 things, someone else is doing just 1 and doing it way better. That’s who wins.

I’ve noticed a lot of founders (including me) fall into the trap of thinking distribution + features + growth hacks all need to happen at once. But in reality, spreading attention too thin just leads to average execution everywhere.

Great article Courtland - and I believe it is timely and necessary.

It caused me to think of the invisible gorilla. (you can find it on YouTube.) Do most people think they can focus on more than one thing at a time? Only 50% saw the gorilla.

Kind regards,

Frank

Needed this reminder. It’s easy to confuse motion with progress, especially early on. Fewer priorities with higher quality usually beats spreading energy across too many channels or features.

I’ve heard it said another way. “Decide what you are saying ‘no’ to so you can say ‘yes’ to what you really want.” Doing less and saying “no” can have a negative connotation. I like this way of reframing it!

*“Do less, so you can do it better” – this should be pinned on every indie hacker’s wall.

I’m a non‑tech founder (former Chinese teacher) and I kept wanting to do everything. But the moment I narrowed my focus to just making my AI API gateway stable, I finally got my first paying user.

Focus really is the hidden leverage. Thanks for the reminder, Courtland.*

interesting project good luck with it

interesting project

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This really hit.

I think one of the hardest parts in the early stage is knowing what “less” actually means. It’s easy to say focus — but when you're building something around a big problem (like trust in digital information), everything feels important.

I’m currently working on something in that space, and I’ve already felt the pull to add more features instead of strengthening the core idea. This is a good reminder that if the foundation isn’t strong, adding more just hides the problem.

Curious — how do you personally decide what’s worth focusing on vs what to ignore in the early stage?

Great insight. This post makes me think about Deep Work, by Cal Newport, definitely along the lines of how focusing on one singular thing, "doing less," can actually make it easier and better for you to do smooch more because of the concentration of your focus.

This hits hard right now. I’m currently building Sitemanifest and I keep catching myself trying to fix every SEO tag, directory listing, and social profile at once instead of just perfecting the core review integrity engine. It’s a paradox: you feel like you're falling behind by doing less, but you're actually just diluting the 'greatness' of the one thing that matters. Needed this reminder to get back to the code.

This hit at the right time. I'm in the early days of going independent and the temptation to do everything at once is real — build the consulting practice, start the automation business, get on every platform, learn every tool. I've been forcing myself back to one question: what's the one thing that moves the needle this week? Harder than it sounds but it's the only way I've been making actual progress. Great reminder.

Great advice. Thanks @csallen! Good is enemy of Great because compete for your time.
The only problem is to determine what to focus on to do great?

>> The world is already full of billions of videos, books, movies, stores, websites, apps, and product features.

Too much information around us. We should go back to focus.

Spot on. The trap of "Fake Busyness" is so real for indie hackers. We tick off 15 minor tasks (tweeting, tweaking a button color) and feel productive, but the actual needle hasn't moved.

I realized my massive to-do list was actually giving me an excuse to avoid the one hard thing that required true focus.

I actually ended up completely ditching standard to-do lists recently because of this. Now, I force myself to pick just 2-3 high-impact tasks and track my daily execution as a live "velocity" (km/h).

If I focus and do them fast, my momentum compounds. If I get distracted by trying to do 10 different things, my speed decays.

Like you said: Doing less, but doing it with ruthless momentum > doing everything poorly. Great reminder today.

Thanks.
It came like a reminder.

the trap is thinking focus is about picking the right thing. it's actually about killing the wrong things. most builders add focus to their vocabulary and still protect their pet projects. real focus hurts. you have to actively disappoint yourself.

"This is such a timely reminder. I’ve realized that 'doing less' is often physically impossible if your nervous system is stuck in high gear from over-expanding your scope.

Courtland mentions that in the early days, his energy went 100% into one thing. But for many founders, even if we try to do one thing, our 'hardware' (nervous system) stays wired and distracted because of the physiological stress of the build. We try to fix focus with software updates (mindset/planning), but if the nervous system doesn't downshift, the quality of our work remains mediocre.

Has anyone found a reliable way to actually trigger a physical 'reset' to get into that deep focus state, or are we all just waiting for exhaustion to kick in to finally stop the noise?"

This is perfectly timed. I spent months trying to build a massive project management OS before realizing I was doing too many things poorly. I finally ruthlessly cut my scope down to just one feature (an automated scoping engine), and the quality of the product immediately skyrocketed. "Doing less" really is the ultimate unlock for early founders.

You should write a book sometime. Someone had to say it, so I did.

Yep, agree with this. There really is too much mediocre in our world...

As a complete beginner in this space I’ve already fallen victim to spreading what little knowledge I have too thinly. Thanks for the article!

I completely agree with this point of view, but it's very difficult to implement. Because people always want too much, they try various ways to increase their visibility and add various features to make their business model unique. I can understand this as being rooted in the original sin of human nature.

People aren't craving more mediocre things. What they want is a small number of really great things. Producing great things requires focus. Focus means saying no to good things, because they get in the way of doing great things.

I'm going to put that on my wall.

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This is such an underrated lesson. Focus isn’t just about choosing what to work on, it’s also about intentionally removing everything that fragments attention. Early clarity compounds fast.

This is inspiring, I am currently building an app and just found someone to help with some of the other million tasks that there to do. These all live in my head and in notes, so many notes. I have been refocusing to do something great. I like that last line ' Do less, so you can do better! ' I feel that statement. Thank you

Big fan of motivational videos/speakers etc. If I followed each of their morning routines that they recommend I would never get started with the rest of my day. Well said, doing less things but doing them well is where it is at!!

AI is the epitome of this quote!

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Would you take you own advice due?

It's wonderful all that this has become.
Personally I use the forums, the podcasts doesn't resonate with me much 🤷.

I'd say as wonderful as the forums are, they are mostly fed by the people they attracted, the curation, participation etc.
In my eyes and I think others expressed it a bit as well in a nicer way, it's Inspite of the custom coded slow site it lives on, not because...
Would you consider just dumping it and moving to some well performing off the shelf open source system with minimal customisation?
Honestly you probably shouldn't be coding anything for the forums, there is no special secret sauce functionality here that adds value over a competing forum in terms of system. The community work is worth it etc...
I would also question if the spin offs of other discussion methods spinner out should give you the hint to that, the core system is less than what people are expecting...
When you would wean of coding, you wouldn't be as attached and would possibly consider connecting complementary systems that would actually add considerable value...

YES!! 🙌💯

I've scaled my business down to 4 essential things:

1. outbound sales (daily)
2. developing strategic partnerships (daily)
3. participating on LinkedIn and IH (once a week)
4. writing articles/blogs (once every 2 months)

That's it. No inbound marketing. Need to get processes and systems working so they scale. Then I'll add inbound (paid and organic) marketing.

Since simplifying to this point, things have moved ahead by leaps and bounds. This heavy focus on sales and partnerships is temporary -- to force intense and early growth.

This setup feels really good. It's removed a lot of pressure and I can clearly see where I'm headed.

Less is truly more. 👍👍

Great touchstone for those who are out there trying to start something up themselves. I find I'm constantly subconsciously expanding the scope of my ideas and have to rein myself in or else I'll never get something out there. Focus in first and then let things grow from there.

Wow you don’t know how much this hit me. I am the earliest phase possible and I am already concerned with too many things. Thanks Courtland

💯%

This is great reminder to always stay focus, this doesn't mean weakness but a great way to do more

That's really useful advice. It's easy to get caught up in trying to do everything, especially in the beginning.

This is probably my biggest problem with any project. Right from the start before I've even written a single line of code I've researched this massive project idea which is probably going to take months if not years to implement! Then I've decided that first I need to make sure I understand the tech stack and before you know it I am knee deep in a dozen tutorials on YouTube. Weeks go by and I've still not actually started the project!

This is a habit / mindset I desperately want to get out of and that's why I've joined Indie Hackers. Now I just have to resist the temptation to consume all the content on here before getting stuck into a project lol!

Small number of really great things reminds of something someone once told me "don't half ass two things".

There's no point in giving divided attention to things that won't produce the expected results. Might as well put all your energy in what's more important and put the rest off for later.

Very wise words. Thanks!

Cheers to that. Focussing on the right thing is everything when you're building from the ground up.

Absolutely right, just like in keyword research, you'll see countless needs from people all over the world, but what you can do is ultimately only one or two of them. Only by focusing can you gain a deeper understanding of the people behind the needs.

I like what you're saying that we have to choose between doing good things or great things because most of the time we think if I added this and that and then this it will become great but it's the opposite of that.

It’s really wise to emphasize having clear priorities. Without them, the sheer abundance of information can overwhelm us, causing indecision and inefficiency. Knowing what matters most allows us to cut through the noise and focus on doing fewer things, but doing them exceptionally well—just like the Indie Hackers post says. Thanks for the reminder!

This really makes you think... it's really hard to choose the things that are most important.

thi thử bằng lái

Recently, I've also been caught in this dilemma: should I make my project large and comprehensive to meet the shallow needs of the majority, or should I make it small and exquisite to attract more highly engaged users?

That's hard to say...It depends on your expectations about the product you built. If just seek for quick money, then just be quick. Otherwise quality are the core drive u evolving.

As a beginner, that's a real eye-opener.

very useful, thanks

totally agree!

true

This hit at the perfect time. We’re in the MVP grind right now, and it’s so easy to start chasing every cool idea, every user suggestion, every shiny feature.
The “less but sharper” mindset is a sanity-saver, and honestly leads to better product decisions.
Thanks for the reminder :)

less is more , we should pay more attention on the most important thing , which would be the source of our profit . As we all know , our energy and resources are limited to make everything well done, therefore the only way to make success is to define the problem and to supply our application according to our ability . At last we should make it clear that our application must be helpful and necessary for our clients . Thanks for advice from your article.

This is the best project management philosophy I’ve found in general.

On any given iteration, prioritize quality and speed over scope, then achieve scope over multiple iterations.

And it applies to technical quality as well as product quality. Building solid, high quality features with minimum valuable scope allows you to iterate much faster over time. Having a lot of half-baked features, both UX- and tech-wise, leads to a slog.

Thank you for this timely reminder about the power of focus, especially in the early stages of building something meaningful. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that doing more equates to being more productive or impactful. Your example with Indie Hackers highlights a critical truth: narrowing your focus allows you to refine, iterate, and truly excel at the one thing that matters most. When energy isn’t spread thin across countless projects or platforms, the quality of the work naturally elevates, and that singular excellence often has a far greater impact than a dozen mediocre attempts.

This resonates deeply, as the world is indeed saturated with content and products that are average at best. By resisting the temptation to chase every opportunity or implement every suggestion, founders can craft something that truly stands out. Saying no to "good" things to make room for "great" ones is a challenging discipline but ultimately what separates creators who make a lasting impression from those who don’t. Your advice is not just a call to action—it’s a call to clarity, reminding us that the path to greatness is paved with deliberate choices and steadfast commitment to doing fewer things exceptionally well.

I imagine this is meant in the context of indie projects, but what's everyone's experience with reconciling projects and, for example, physical fitness?

I hear ya! It's easy to get overwhelmed with a million things to do. But you know what they say, less is more! By focusing on just a few things, you can give them your all and do them really well. So don't be afraid to say no to the extras and concentrate on what really matters. You'll be amazed at the results!

Just wanted to say that this is a very short and straight to the point "great" article. It was what I needed to read right now. I have been trying to do so many things that I sometimes get overwhelmed and then don't want to do anything. That is all. I don't want to ramble. Thanks

I agree that focus is key to quality, but with proper prioritization, larger projects can be managed without spreading yourself too thin. By breaking tasks into manageable pieces and staying organized, you can achieve big goals while maintaining high standards. How do you feel about balancing focus with strategic multitasking as the scope grows?

Great stuff man

This is so true. From my experience doing too much causes me to burn out faster and I end up doing less.

How true - it's easy and fun to jump around wih various interests, but it doesn't get you anywhere. To be successful you gotta focus, focus focus!

That's a great piece, thanks for sharing! One thing that helps me to stay focused is: setting a deadline. E.g. "I will launch this product in 30 days from scratch" and then stick to it. It helps me to focus on the launch critical stuff and shove the rest into the "post-launch" bucket.

I feel this. Avoid burnout at all costs.

Came back to read this again 🔥🔥

I'm just introducing a useful tool we made. I hope you will like it. Thank you all in advance.
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Focus thats great pitch, at what point do you think attentions be diversified?

Spot on!!

Your words serve as a powerful reminder to resist the temptation of "scope creep" and avoid falling into the trap of trying to do everything at once. Sometimes, less truly is more.

Courtland Allen, this is a nice thought. Its well appreciated. Thanks for sharing your FOCUS experience too, its quiet inspiring.

Today was a good day to read this!

Appreciate this reminder, Courtland!

In my gut, I know this to be true — we should always focus on what we do best, not wasting time on what holds us back from doing so — but in practice, I'm always reminded of the classic, "Do things that don't scale".

I suppose it's a bit of a yin and yang situation and so important, as a founder, to have the self-awareness to recognize what needs attention?

This is a convincing argument.

Have you considered going further and reducing the scope of what you do? Like maybe cutting Twitter or reducing forum commenting frequency to a "pg on HN" level or getting more hosts for the podcast so you could just do one a month?

Is there one thing you work on that's producing 3/4 or more of the value of all the things you work on?

I thought it was a good idea to start my freelance career working in three areas I was really interested in so I could figure which one I preferred. Now I'm overwhelmed and I am sort of ok / mediocre in each area. I know I could be doing so much better if only picked one!

I am now refusing work and finishing all ongoing projects to then specialised in one tiny activity.

Thanks for sharing this Allen.

Constant reminder

This is what I exactly needed right now :) thank you @csallen

Thank you for the great post!

Just don't get caught in the trap shipping too few features.

In some cases a great product is defined by a larger number of well implemented features. For example a smartphone, or even the older dumb phones, the more (well implemented) features a phone had, the more popular it was likely to become. To create a great product with a very small number of features usually means creating a disruptive product, innovating in a specific branch of technology, which is pretty hard to do.

Sometimes great products don't rely on a single specific great feature but are just a combination of well implemented features.

If you create a product that's supposed to replace something else, or just be better than something else, you probably need as many features as the other product, but implemented in a better way.

If you create an entirely new product you should just implement the core features at a very high quality and add new features based on the market's reaction.

Beautifully said, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the reminder, it might already be too late for today 😅 , but I'll try to keep this in mind

Wisdomly reminder to focus on creating greatness. If you can't say «hell yeah!» to tempting projects, than is often a «no».

I think everyone can feel this as a timely reminder (including me) as this problem exists all the time - “Focusing the right one instead of the great one” ( copied and adapted ;) )

Thanks for the reminder. Even I need this badly now :)

“ Focus means saying no to good things, because they get in the way of doing great things.” - This made my day :)

The world is already full of billions of videos, books, movies, stores, websites, apps, and product features. That's more than anyone has time to consume, and most of it is mediocre. People aren't craving more mediocre things. What they want is a small number of really great things. Producing great things requires focus. Focus means saying no to good things, because they get in the way of doing great things.

Golden words!

You will hear from every book and every corner of the web that you're not doing enough things.

This so much. I've been building a product for the last 2 months and a key advantage (not the only) I have over my competitors is that my product is polished.

All my competitors' features/UX are dinosaurs from the past. They have tons of features but not one is "perfect".

Well said. Do love the podcasts. Are you planning to expand the team so IH.com gets some love ?

Thanks! This is exactly what I need right now 🙂

That's great reminder. Thank you for what you're doing!

Great reminder. Thanks Courtland.