Expertise is not about doing the same job done faster. It’s about doing a better job done faster.

As we aim to deliver great output in anything we do, we aspire to create like the “experts” in our fields. We think, “If I just put in the time to keep honing this project, I can get it as good as the pros!”

We think if we spend enough time in the studio, our album will sound as good as the stuff on the radio. Or if we work long enough at our novel, it’ll become a best-seller.

Turns out, the experts don’t just get the job done faster than us, they also do it better than us. The Boston Symphony Orchestra performs the world’s great orchestral works at a level very few other orchestras could ever achieve if they worked for a year on it. But the BSO performs them with only three rehearsals. They can do it because they are experts, players at the pinnacle of their craft, and chosen carefully for that skill.

So be happy that your album is done, or you can write the final chapter of your novel. Expert output won’t come from working longer on your project. It’ll come from working on hundreds of projects until you too can do it better.