Why Simplification is Key to a Successful Career
“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.”
-Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was known for his emphasis on simple design and using that philosophy to build world renowned technology products that created an extremely successful company. It is from that foundation of simplification that his company still has the ability to build amazing products, many years after his death, that are simple enough for everyone from the very young to the elderly to use. What a lot of people don’t know about these products is that a large part of their success is their design philosophy around simplicity. This concept is key not just for product managers trying to build great products for their customers, it’s important for everyone in their careers.
Pareto Principle
The Pareto Principle (also known as the 80/20 rule) states that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes. This can be applied in many contexts such as:
80% of your revenue comes from 20% of your customers
20% of your activities contribute to 80% of your happiness
20% of tasks will deliver 80% of your desired outcomes
20% of your social media posts give you 80% of your results
This is helpful to think about because it allows you to think about what 20% of your work is giving you the most results and use that to simplify your work life.
Simplify your Calender
The first step to simplifying is creating space in your calendar. First, make sure you have clear objectives, that you have reviewed with your boss, that articulate what success looks like in your role. Once you are clear about that, use that to determine what areas to focus your efforts on at work. Likely, there are few things you are working on that don’t add a lot of value but take up your time. Be willing to cut those activities or delegate them to others. You can even set a boundary around the maximum amount of time you want to spend each day in meetings. Having that limit forces your hand in prioritizing and removing items because you can’t have more than that amount of meetings a day. By creating space in your calendar, you have more time to get work done and you allow time for last minute requests to come in and be dealt with in a timely manner. This also gives you some mental space and breathing room. Having a packed calendar everyday that is not managed appropriately can be really stressful. Executives have executive assistants to help manage their time but if you don't have one you can still manage your time in a way that sets you up for efficiency and success.
Simplify how Much you are Doing
We all want to experience everything life has to offer. This doesn’t always work and doing too much at once can leave you feeling frazzled. Cutting down on the amount of things you are doing allows you to stay focused. Know what your highest priorities are at work and focus on getting them done. Prioritizing and creating lists of goals can be done quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily. Use the quarterly goals to guide your monthly, weekly and daily objectives to stay focused and on track. Taking a little bit of time to be strategic about your work can save you time in the long run. Also, when it comes to performance review time, you want to ensure you are getting the most important work done, so by focusing on work that is of high importance, you are ensuring you are working efficiently and effectively.
You can also do the same with your personal life, focusing on what is most important to you at this point in your life and saying no to everything else. This will help you maintain better work life balance. For example, if you are at a stage where your children are really young, you may want to give up your book club for a few years so you have more time to spend with your kids for these few years. This change may only be for a short period, but during that time if you consciously choose to spend your time on this activity, you will have a lot less regret later on. In that way, you will make sure you give the most important people, time and activities your attention.
Simplify Relationships
Just as having too much clutter in your life can be stressful, trying to maintain too many relationships can be burdensome as well. Both for your career and your personal relationships, decide what relationships bring you the most happiness and grow you the most and focus on those. This will allow you to have enough time to build and to maintain the relationships you care about most. While there is value in having different levels of closeness with the people in your network, having at least a handful of people that you build strong relationships with will have a positive effect on your career. People are more likely to recommend you for opportunities if they know who you are at a deeper level and know that you are trustworthy and competent. Also, having people you can trust and talk to through your career ups and downs will support you during your career to make the best decisions.
By being clear on your objectives and priorities, simplifying your calendar and focusing on the activities in your life that bring you the most joy, it's easier to focus on your goals. In addition, spending your energy on the relationships you care about most will help you have more happiness inside and outside of work. Don’t let clutter in your calendar and your life prevent you from spending time on what is most important to you.