When the going gets tough, the tough gets going… 
 

Hard work beats talent every day of the week…
 

Nothing worth having comes easy… 
 

You probably grew up with a version of these phrases as a part of your weekly life. 

You may have even worn them as a badge of honour: ‘I work harder than anyone else, and that is what makes me successful.’ 
 

And, when things aren’t going your way, it’s easy to lean even further into this. 

 
After all, working harder is what gets you results. 
 

When you’re not getting the results you want… your programming tells you to ‘just do a bit more’ each day, and then you will be able to turn it around. 
 

It’s natural to think that the solution is to work harder and push through.  
 

But is more always better?  
 

It’s easy to look at what others are doing and say, ‘I just need to add that thing to what I’m doing, and then I will get the results I want.’ 
 

But it’s easy to mistake movement for achievement.  
 

If you are feeling like you need to do more at the moment, then it’s essential to pause and ask: Am I focusing my energy on the right things?  
 

More often than not, success in business does not come from doing more. It comes from doing fewer things — but doing them better. 
 

Looking slightly to the left or right of where you are focusing and gaining a new perspective rather than working harder can have a profound impact on your results. 
 

What better example of this than the fastest man in the pool in the world - Australian Olympic swimmer, Cameron McEvoy. 
 

Lessons from the Pool 
 

Just 4 years ago, Cam McEvoy was down and out. 
 

After getting knocked out in the 50-meter and 100-meter heats at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, many thought his career was over. Exhausted and disillusioned, he was ready to give up, feeling like he’d hit a wall. 
 

Placing 11th in his event at the Tokyo Olympics at 26 years of age, Cam was considered old for his event.
 
 
Commentators were calling for his retirement. 
 

McEvoy was training 80 hours a week, a routine that all swimmers commit to. It was the norm and something that Cam had been doing since he was a teenager.  
 

Swimming countless kilometres, facing burnout, he knew something needed to change.  
 

And the interesting thing is what he did and the results he achieved might have changed the face of sprint swim training forever. 
 

Rather than pushing harder in the same routine, McEvoy made a different choice.  
 

He took a year off to rest and reevaluate.  
 

Rather than diving back into his old training regimen, he sought input from other power athletes, studying how the best in the world trained and performed.  
 

He spent time with the best rock climbers, sprint cyclists, and callisthenics athletes. 
 

McEvoy realised that swimmers, like many farmers, often stick to a familiar routine, even when it’s not yielding the best results. 
 

He realised that most sprint swimmers were leaving a lot on the table in terms of the potential power they could generate. 

He saw an opportunity to change his approach, focusing on quality instead of sheer volume and in doing so, he completely changed his future in just 3 years. 
 

Rather than swimming 80km per week, Cam cut his weekly swimming distance to just 2-3 kilometres, but each session was laser-focused on building power and refining technique. He also added 10 kilos of muscle to enhance his speed and power. 
 

Rather than feeling burnt out and frustrated with the daily grind, he is now motivated and has fallen back in love with swimming. 
 

Instead of being 26 and ready to retire, at 30 McEvoy is talking about not just competing in the next Olympics in 4 years but can see himself doing this for another 8 years at least! 
 

What about the results? 
 

Well, they speak for themselves. McEvoy came back stronger than ever, winning gold in the 50-meter freestyle at the recent 2024 Paris Olympic Games. 
 

At 30, he became the fastest swimmer in the world in that event — proving that doing “less but better” can lead to extraordinary outcomes. 
 

It is proof that working harder is not always the answer. Working hard on the right things is what yields the results. 
 

Applying “Less but Better” to Your Farm Business 
 

For farm owners, McEvoy’s story is a reminder that sometimes slowing down to speed up is the best strategy.  
 

Instead of pushing yourself harder in the same routine, take a step back and ask: What can I do differently? 
 

Sometimes we need education to change direction rather than motivation to speed up. 
 

This is where having a coach can help.  
 

If you would like to test out coaching for your farm business, we have opened up a few places before Christmas with our senior team. You can register here. 
 

Ask yourself: 

• Is my business model profitable and taking me towards my goals? 

• Are all enterprises I run contributing to the profitability relative to the effort I put in? 

• What areas of my business bring the most value? 

• Can I focus more on these areas instead of spreading myself too thin? 

• Are there practices or new technologies I could adopt to make my work more efficient? 
   

Much like McEvoy, farm owners can benefit from thinking strategically and seeking out new ways to approach current challenges. 
 

Less but Better: The Power of Focused Effort 
 

When McEvoy returned to competition, his training looked completely different — less time in the pool but more focus on the specifics that would help him win.  
 

He cut back on the unnecessary and homed in on what really mattered, and it made all the difference. This approach — doing less but better - holds valuable lessons for farm business owners. 
 

It’s not about adding more to an already overloaded schedule. It’s about identifying what truly moves the needle for your business and doing it well.  
 

If you would like help identifying the things that will move the needle in your farm business, we are running a 2-Day Workshop for Farm Owners called the TOP Producers Workshop. 
 
Over the 2 days, we will share what real high-performing farm owners are implementing in their business that are driving their results and allowing them to be more profitable with less effort. 
 

Just like Cam McEvoy did, learning from other successful people will accelerate your results and help you get clear on where to focus for your business. 
 
Regards,  

Sam Johnsson and the Farm Owners Academy 

P.S. Looking for opportunities to do LESS but BETTER in your farm business?   

Join us at the upcoming TOP Producers Program! You'll walk away with practical tools, strategies, and a clear plan to achieve your business goals. Plus, you'll connect with other like-minded farm owners.   

Attend in person or virtually – discounted early bird tickets are available now, but not for long! Click here to see dates and secure your spot today.