Simplifying involves cutting back, reducing, distilling, or getting rid of excess. The process of pruning your personal and business life to include only what is absolutely necessary requires one to make conscious choices about what is important and what is not.
I have come to believe that people are inclined to make things more difficult or more complex because they can’t say no. Or they perceive that to be productive or profitable then you need to accumulate or acquire more than the next person.
Why does this matter? In order to build, you need to give yourself the space to do so. Reducing clutter enables one to focus on what really matters.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes on simplicity:
“If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.”
“Like all magnificent things, it’s very simple.”
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”
“It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials.”
“Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.”
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