Grinding hard at the wrong thing is still the wrong thing, just faster.

Effort has a direction, and the direction matters more than the intensity does. Working flat out on something that was never going to help produces exhaustion and a clean conscience, which is a dangerous pair, because being tired feels like proof you did the right thing. Hard work can hide a bad plan for a surprisingly long time.

Before the next long push, take five minutes on what this is actually for and what would count as finished. If you cannot answer that, the answering is the real work. Aim first, then go as hard as you like.