Leaving Things Out
I was recently pointed in the direction of a quote from a talk by David Pogue, NYTimes personal technology columnist, highlighted at Simplicity Rules ? Simplicity sells, not features. The quote that got me, as applies to technology was: “The hard part is not deciding what features to add, it’s deciding what to leave out.”“The hard part is not deciding what features to add, it’s deciding what to leave out.”
But isn’t that the essence of any type of simplicity? It is very easy to add things to our lives: new activities, new possessions, new people. But simplicity itself requires the opposite action. In order to gain simplicity, we have to decide what to leave out.
What possessions can we do without? What do we own that we don’t use? What do we use so little that it doesn’t justify keeping it? What activities don’t help us become the people we want to be? Who has become a drain on us financially or emotionally?
These are tough questions. It is much easier to toss away an unused kitchen gadget than it is to toss a friendship we have had for years. It is much easier to get rid of old magazines than it is to walk away from an organization we have belonged to for years, but no longer meets a need in our lives.
What things in your life can you leave out?
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Agree that it’s the essence of simplicity, yet so many of us still seem innately pulled toward complexity. I think it’s just a habit, and one we can change. It just takes practice. Answering the questions you’ve outlined here is a good first step.