Here’s something I tend to notice when I roll with a white/blue belt:
When I put them into a situation where they think they are in danger, they try to escape from the situation by moving a lot, which often includes random and unnecessary movements.
A blatant example would be a situation where I mount them and they move their arms around to keep me away instead of, say, hiding their arms as well as using their elbows and small bridging movements to create some escape route.
Sometimes muscling out of a bad position might be the only option. But in most cases, doing less is the key to escaping out of such positions… well, to be more precise, being calm and making small adjustments to create an opening for your escape will help you more than making random movements and hoping for the best.
As a general rule of thumb, it would be a good idea for you to think how you could make your movements compact and minimal, and also make a smaller number of movements to accomplish your desired outcome.