Tag Archives: Less but Better

The Quiet Power of Simplicity

Pursuing Less, But Better

There’s a weight that comes with chasing more.

More achievement.
More opportunity.
More responsibility.
More decisions.

And if you’re wired like me—a driven, achievement-minded husband and father—it’s easy to let that “more” become the default setting. You keep pushing. You stack the wins. You out-hustle the exhaustion. But somewhere in the mix, life starts to feel overbuilt. Heavy. Overcommitted.

I truly struggle with even the idea of sitting still and just being. Not thinking, strategizing, planning, or creating.

Enter a better idea: simplicity.

I love the concept of “less but better,” pulled from Greg McKeown’s book Essentialism. It’s an ALL-TIME favorite. It’s not about doing nothing. It’s not about slacking off. It’s about being ruthless with what truly matters. It’s a call to curate your life with intention, rather than letting it get cluttered by default. Said another way from Derek Sivers, “If it’s not a HELL YES…it’s a NO!”

This isn’t theoretical for me—it’s personal. I’ve got two kids who don’t care about my inbox. A wife who deserves presence, not just proximity. And a body and mind that don’t bounce back like they used to. So what does success look like now?

It looks simpler.

Fewer decisions.
Fewer yeses.
Fewer drains on energy.

More clarity.
More space.
More peace.

Here’s the hard part: simplicity is rarely the path of least resistance. It takes discipline. Saying “no” when your ego wants to say “yes.” Dropping “shoulds” that no longer serve you. Cutting good things to make room for great ones.

But here’s what I’ve learned—every “yes” is a trade. Every choice pulls on your time, your attention, and your energy. And in this season of life, I’m less interested in appearing busy and more committed to being deeply fulfilled.

I don’t want to live a life that looks full on the calendar and feels empty in the heart. All that said, I’m still a human being and I’m not a monk. I still want to drive a Ferrari, wear Jordans and buy a Rolex. I still want to take rad golf trips with my buddies and stay in swanky hotels. But I know what I want.

So I’m leaning in. Fewer things, done better. Less pressure, more presence. I’m continually asking two questions of myself.

  1. Is this really important?
  2. What is it, that you really want?

Simplifying not to do less work—but to do the right work, with the people who matter most.

Simplicity is the new flex.

What you should know about Essentialism

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Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

More?  Or Less?

More is a thing we’re all in pursuit of, even if we don’t know what “thing” it is.  Just have more of it.  More, more, more! It’s exhausting to pursue more.  It never ends.

Ask someone close to you what they’d like to have more of? You won’t get a short answer.  Think about all the more you could have in your life right now if you could just achieve it.  More:

  • house or houses
  • clothes
  • shoes
  • money, lots more money
  • car(s)
  • furniture
  • jewelry
  • STUFF

If immediately you believe you will be reading about giving away your life savings, living like a hermit, and wearing terrycloth clothing you’re wrong. Essentialism is a framework for choice.

Instead what about considering less? Doesn’t sound very sexy does it?

Okay, I agree and I like things that sound sexy and simple.  So, let me rephrase it the way Greg McKeown did in his book: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.  Less, but better!

Less, but better!

Welcome to the essentialism lifestyle. The pursuit of “less, but better” in our lives. More focus, on fewer activities, for a return magnitudes higher than the simple pursuit of more for more.  It’s not about living in a 400 square foot apartment and giving away all we’ve ever owned.  Its about discipline in following and achieving our dreams by using the power of choice (elimination) and focus (dreams).

If I could recommend five books to anyone, this book is for sure on the list. I devoured it the first time I read it, so I’m going back for a second course to make sure I didn’t leave too much meat on the bone.

I associate the essentialist set of beliefs with another leader I follow a great deal online Gary Vaynerchuk.   Gary is obsessed in focusing his efforts on the two or three things he’s really great at.  These two or three “world-class” talents can provide him the greatest return (in magnitudes of order) compared to investing his time in the 95% of shit (his words) he sucks at.

Here’s another very strong correlation i found from author and successful blogger Ramit Sethi’s, I Will Teach You To Be Rich blog. The title of his recent post 2015 The Year of More.  After you’re done reading this piece, circle back and digest what Ramit is saying.

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Here are seven of my favorite points I distilled from the book:

  1. Essentialists ask this question every day, multiple times per day.  “Is this the very most important thing I could be doing with my time or resources RIGHT NOW?
  2. “Only once you give yourself permission to STOP trying to do it all, can you make your highest contribution toward what really matters
  3. Evaluate the “trivial many” vs. the “vital few” – in all aspect of our life and finances
  4. From Jack Dorsey (founder of Twitter), “There are a thousand things we could be doing, buy only one or two are important”
  5. Nonessentialists = Yes to all.  Pleasers of anything and everything.
  6. Decision fatigue.  More choices = lower quality of choices.  I found this really interesting as I just read a Fast Company piece titled, “Always Wear The Same Suit”  about decision making and wardrobe choices for President Barack Obama.  He subscribes to this productivity hack.
  7. The invisible art form.  EDIT.   We should always be editing down our schedules, focuses, goals, and lifestyle.  Like a great producer taking a film from five hours to three.  Or a publisher taking a great book and simplifying it from 600 pages to a well distilled 250.  Edit, edit, edit!

I don’t want to ruin it for those who would like to consume all the book has to offer, but I do really suggest you think about how the power of choice and elimination could better impact your life.

ACTION ITEM:  I really want you to read this book.  If you don’t choose to read this book, slow down and read my seven favorite points.  They will substantially impact your life and the way you look at how your invest your time.