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.
- Is this really important?
- 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.
