Charging up Mountains

Not surprising to me, a recent study shows that excellent people work fewer hours but in a more focused and intense way (High Intensity Interval Working?). And they set clear goals for themselves. I see this difference as climbing mountains (where you know when you get to the top) vs heading out on the endless vista of toil. The latter sounds dreary, but it can become a surprisingly comfortable place to settle into and lose sense of whether you are actually getting anywhere.