Less Is More: The importance of elimination

 It was Tuesday the 11th of August, 12:59 pm in the afternoon to be precise, as I sat down to write this fourth newsletter in an empty café (Barista if you must know). I had set aside time on numerous occasions in the previous week to complete this task, but was unable to do so due to various reason ranging from not being able to decide on a topic to getting distracted constantly. 

There I was, all alone in a café, trying to figure out what the Fu*k I should cover in this week’s newsletter. I pulled out my phone, opened the note taking app on it and went through the numerous topics I had written down trying pick one to write about. Therein started the process of slowing down and just eliminating 80% of the topics, leaving me with two, none of which I choose to write about. Why? It made me think about a concept that I have read, but never really taken the time to understand, the concept of “less is more” beautifully explained by Barry Schwarthz, in his book “The Paradox of Choices: Why More is Less” and introduced to me by Timothy Ferris in his book “The 4-Hour Work Week”. 

Simple choice, you think? Every morning when I open my closet, I am faced with a dilemma, what to wear when so many choices are staring me straight in the face. Similarly, my list of topics for this week’s newsletter not only confused the hell out of me they also overwhelmed me. Think about the last time you went to an ice cream parlor. Rows and rows of different assortments and flavors of ice cream to choose from is not only confusing, but also demand considerable mental effort and more often than not lead to buyer’s remorse (I wish I had got that bubblegum flavor). Personally, I stand there first thinking which flavors I would like to taste, which is a task in itself. After tasting four or five different flavors, I am contemplating tasting a few more before deciding which one to consume, which again leads to the mental task of choosing between all the flavors that I just tasted. I am confused and the guy behind the counter is most likely counting how many indecisive individuals like me, he has to serve.  

Elimination: Too many choices confuse, overwhelm, distract, and lead to reduced productivity and appreciation. Today, we have choices galore and more than consuming our time they all demand our attention, which believe me is even more limited than the time we have on hand. So, it then becomes imperative that we choose what to pay attention too through the process of selective elimination, applying the concept of less is more. You must be now wondering; how and where do I start the process of elimination? Here is a process that I have started deploying:

1.     Use the 80/20 rule: Being in the field of waste management, I have been using the term, ‘What gets measured, gets managed” to explain to potential client’s how they can reduce the amount of waste they generate at their sites, cutting costs and saving money by effectively measuring what they waste. Which also lets them know what items they need to cut or reduce their consumption off. While reading Tim’s book, I stumbled upon another concept that I had heard of and applied to my own business, the 80/20 rule (80% of your business/sales/revenues come from 20% of your clients). What I did not realize was how this rule applies to everything in your life. Here is how you can start using this principal, dubbed the Pareto’s law after Vilfredo Pareto an economist and sociologist who lived between 1848 and 1923.

a.     Ask yourself, what 20% of sources are causing 80% of my problems and unhappiness? (question as framed by Timothy Ferriss in his book 4 hour Work Week)

b.     What 20% of sources are resulting in 80% of desired results and happiness? (question as framed by Timothy Ferriss in his book 4 hour Work Week) 

Take some time out alone and answer these two questions honestly, applying them to everything in your life from friends to work, to time spent online. Truth is a tough pill to swallow, and so will be the case with this exercise, but eliminate you must. Whether it is friends and family members that eat up your time and drain you emotionally, e-mails subscriptions that show up in your mailbox every day that you never read (don’t you dare un-subscribe from trash talk Friday’s!) but overwhelm you by sheer numbers, to cleaning out your closet by either giving away those clothes you so dearly hold but never wear or selling them to make some pocket change, elimination will free up much needed mind space. 

You will soon realize that 80% of your misery comes from 20% of your actions. I personally have started applying this to my personal and professional life, cutting out clients that are causing unnecessary headaches, consuming too much of my time or that of my team while adding little in terms of profitability. The time and mental space saved can then be utilized to focus on building clients that deliver 80% of your revenues and profits, while consuming 20% or less of your time and attention. Less time, less effort, more profitability is what we should be striving towards, don’t fall into the fallacy of more clients, more revenues, I have personally been there and it’s not pretty. 

Similarly, phone calls and meetings are a gross waste of time and attention. I personally do not answer unknown numbers at all and tend to refer most if not all questions to e-mails. This forces a person to be specific about their needs and you can get back to them in a week’s time or earlier if it is something that interests you. If I have to answer a call, I get straight to the point by asking them how I can help and letting them know that I am in the midst of something but can spare a few minutes to hear them out, make sure you stick to your time line if they keep rambling, cut it short and ask them to drop you a mail. I have also played my own personal secretary, answering the call and letting the caller know that Manik is not available and that they can simply drop a mail to our company account with their concerned query. 

As far as meetings are concerned, I tend to avoid them like a plague, unless I have to go close a contract or it’s a critical matter that I can’t wiggle out of (critical means, your employee kicked your client in the nuts and now you have to go ice them so that you don’t lose the contract or get sued. Get the point). Thankfully, COVID19 has reduced the need for physical meeting, but now everyone wants too Zoom. Once again, refer them to mail first, then a call if required, and finally if critical a virtual or in-person meet. Money, time, attention and physical energy all flushed down the toilet, when the same can be achieved over mail or a simple call. What could you use that time to do? More importantly, could that attention be spent on something more important, personal or professional? 

Being busy does not mean that you are being productive. The concept of less is more, is about being less busy and more productive. The time and attention saved can be used in pursuing a hobby, spending quality time with family, working on something that you have always dreamed off, picking up a new skill, travelling etc. The 80/20 concept as discussed can be applies to everything in your life. It does not have to be in the exact ratio, it could be 85/15, 90/10, 99/1 with 80 acting as the base. This weekend, I have decided to eliminate a shit load of clothing that I have just been hanging on to and rarely ever wear, some of it I probably will never wear again, freeing up closet and mental space. 

Coming back to my ice cream analogy, applying the 80/20 rule to the process of buying ice cream, I realized that 80% of the time I was consuming two flavors - mango or chocolate. This helped me eliminate the ice cream buffet and taste just two favors, making my decision to consume one of them a lot easier, saving time and conserving my attention to be deployed for much more important tasks.  

Life is simple, what complicates it is us focusing majority of our time and attention on our never ending wants and insecurities, while forgetting to slowing down to pay attention to what really deserves our time and attention. To finish off here is lovely poem called Slow Dance, that will hopefully make you pause, like I did and re-evaluate what really matters to you. 

Slow Dance by: David L. Weatherford a child psychologist. 

Have you ever watched kids

On a merry-go-round? 

Or listened to the rain

Slapping on the ground? 

Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the fading night? 

You better slow down. 

Don’t dance so fast. 

Time is short.

The music won’t last. 

Do you run through each day 

On the fly?

When you ask: How are you? 

Do you hear the reply? 

When the day is done,

Do you lie in your bed 

With the next hundred chores

Running through your head?

You better slow down. 

Don’t dance so fast. 

Time is short.

The music won’t last.

Ever told your child, 

We’ll do it tomorrow? 

And in your haste,

Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,

Let a good friendship die

Cause you never had the time

To call and say, “Hi”?

You better slow down.

Don’t dance so fast. 

Time is short.

The music won’t last. 

When you run so fast to get somewhere

You miss half the fun in getting there. 

When you worry and hurry through your day,

It is like an unopened gift thrown away. 

Life is not a race.

Do take it slower. 

Hear the music

Before the song is over. 

Manik Thapar (Founder & CEO)

Eco Wise Waste Management Pvt Ltd