To be honest, Attila, you're not actually disagreeing with the hypothetical numbers I suggest, given the 'carefully crafted for boost' to 'what I would have written anyway' ratio of time invested. You are talking about 7x8=56 vs 25x5=125, so less than half the overall time spent, rather than more.

But those timings suggest that your previous 25 pieces weren't simply 'off-the-cuff shortform or meta posts' anyway.

I would agree that if the programme has prompted you to adopt that attitude, it has indeed performed its function. I also write less these days, and target more.

But most writers seem to find that although they are trying to achieve that outcome, it's not working for them. They are putting time into crafting stories, but seeing a very low boost conversion ratio, which is now in general lower according to the overall programme figures, and will foreseeably be tightened further, as the expansionary aims of the programme are paused, or even slightly reversed.

For all of them, 'why bother?' is a natural reaction - easier and less soul-destroying to simply scattergun shorter, quicker pieces.