So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.

The quote contrasts effort with judgment. Fake suggests that diligence is not inherently virtuous if it is applied to an ill-chosen goal; in that case, hard work merely accelerates drift. “The right thing” implies selecting a problem that matters, aligning work with purpose, and making discerning choices about priorities—often the hardest part because it requires saying no, revising assumptions, and confronting uncertainty. The significance is a corrective to hustle culture: effectiveness depends more on direction than intensity. In practical terms, it advocates for clarity of aims, user needs, and leverage points before committing large amounts of labor.