Success by Doing Less
Perhaps because of the Puritan work ethic, most people believe that more effort is required for better results. So we set more goals, work more hours, and implement more strategies and tools.
But people and organizations that perform at the highest level aren’t trying to do everything. They choose carefully where to apply their time, energy, and attention.
The Trap of Adding Your Way to Success
By my nature, I’m ambitious and always looking to improve, personally and professionally. For most of my life, that meant I did more.
To grow my wealth, I got involved in multiple business ventures and added more types of investments.
To get more done, I added more productivity strategies and tools.
For my health and fitness, I added supplements, workouts, and other fitness habits.
To learn and grow, I read more books.
As I learned more beneficial practices, I expanded my morning routine and daily protocol.
But, generally, all this “more” didn’t lead to better outcomes. Instead, the result was there simply wasn’t enough time in a day to do everything I wanted to do.
Of course I knew that focus was important, but I didn’t want to give up on anything that was beneficial.
Then I started noticing an important principle popping up:
Peter Drucker wrote, “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”
Craig Ballantyne talked about “Success through subtraction.”
Sharran Srivatsaa said, “To do great things, you must do fewer things.”
Bruce Lee wrote, “It is not daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.”
After a while, it sunk in, and I started to cut back as much as possible.
Doing less can feel unproductive, even irresponsible, especially for high achievers. But the goal is to do less of what doesn’t matter so you can do more of what does.
Health Improves Faster When You Stop Digging the Hole
When people want to improve their health, their first instinct is to add healthy food and supplements. But your health improves far more when you remove what’s bad for you.
Stop smoking
Stop drinking excessive alcohol
Stop eating and drinking sugar
Stop eating ultra-processed food
Subtracting those negatives is far more impactful than anything you can add to your diet. After all, eating broccoli does not offset three slices of pizza. No amount of salad makes up for eating a package of cookies.
Productivity is Mostly About Elimination
Our course, The Productivity Playbook, teaches several important principles, strategies, and tools.
But it starts with reducing distractions. If your day is full of notifications, news, and social media, productivity is impossible. So:
Turn off all notifications.
Unsubscribe from most newsletters.
Stop consuming online news.
End the social media scrolling.
Delete apps that steal your attention.
Keep your phone out of sight.
Business Performance Improves with Narrower Focus
The “Thrive by doing less” principle also applies directly to business.
Companies that try to serve everyone rarely serve anyone well. Those that concentrate their effort on a clearly defined niche consistently outperform broader competitors.
The same is true for key metrics. Tracking too many numbers creates confusion about priorities. Focusing on the few that truly matter creates clarity and accountability.
Product lines follow the same pattern. Businesses that double down on their best offerings and eliminate the rest grow faster and are more profitable.
Being everywhere is seductive. Social platforms, ads, content channels, partnerships. But spreading effort too thin usually produces average results everywhere.
High-performing organizations identify what’s working best, then they remove everything else.
A Clear Historical Example: Apple
When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, the company was struggling under the weight of complexity. They had hundreds of products, and no clear focus.
His solution was elimination before innovation.
He reduced the product lineup from hundreds to a small set of core offerings. That clarity allowed Apple to execute exceptionally well. The result was one of the most dramatic corporate turnarounds in history.
As Jobs said, “Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.”
Clearing the Clutter Creates Clarity
For many years, I was busy but in hindsight, unfocused. I had too many commitments, too many meetings, too many phone calls, too many tasks each day, and too many goals. This left me not just unfocused, but with little to no thinking and planning time.
When I began cutting back, I had time to think. With thinking came perspective and clarity. And with that clarity came better decisions and higher-impact action.
Putting the Principle into Practice
Applying subtraction is straightforward, but not always easy.
Ask yourself:
What is the most important goal in my life right now, and what is getting in the way?
What is the single most valuable activity I do for work?
Which commitments can I exit?
What habits persist simply because they are familiar?
Which information inputs add little real value?
What is the number one thing I could remove that would improve my health?
Then start eliminating.
Every yes has a cost. Saying no creates room for what matters.
Doing Less to Achieve More
Our course, The Productivity Playbook, is built around this exact principle.
It helps you simplify your personal operating system so your time, energy, and focus are aligned with what truly matters.
Your goal should not be to be busy. Your goal should be to make steady progress toward your ideal life.
