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As artificial intelligence usage increases in the workplace, it’s easy to assume that in the future the people who thrive will be those who adopt the most AI tools. But three media executives warn us not to be deceived: The key to success lies in mastering radical simplicity – knowing what to ignore, what to delete, what to say no to and what to build your days around.
“Machines can execute. Only you can decide what’s worth executing,” Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen and Roy Schwartz write in Simplify.
They have gambled successfully on simplicity, as co-founders of Axios, which specializes in condensed news and analysis delivered by an organization that has tried to simplify its own administrative procedures as much as possible. They have found many people hide in complexity because it feels safer than taking on the burden of clarifying and simplifying.
“Simplify became our operating system – a way to set priorities; to design teams; to write, meet and decide. It’s our filter for every choice: Does this make the important thing faster and clearer – or slower and fuzzier? Does it even need to exist?” they note.
And they argue AI is the greatest complexity-generation machine ever invented. Every AI tool creates new decisions about which tech offering to choose, how to prompt and whether to trust the results. It then throws out various options to pick between, like which of five different emails you might send. And every AI capability creates new expectations: If AI can do this instantly, why aren’t you doing more?
But it all leaves you frazzled at day’s end, after too many options and too much noise. Instead you want to focus – simplify. The three-part formula they share is:
- Confront: Much of what we do flows from habit or blind agreement. So stop and reflect throughout the day. “Why am I doing this? Will it matter even if I do it well? These two questions will erase years of wasted energy,” they say.
- Delete: Ruthlessly search for things to erase, big and small. Less is more. “The most important word in your vocabulary is no. Say it loudly and proudly – and way more frequently,” they write.
- Amplify: Once you delete stuff, you have opened up more time for activity that is meaningful, fun and invigorating. “You amplify the good stuff by subtracting the bad,” they advise.
They point out that deleting and simplifying runs counter to our instincts. We tend to treat longer memos, term papers or books as weightier. In school, more words on the page was considered better. We’re also conditioned to believe it’s polite – and thus right – to say yes to invitations, requests and more work. No is considered the language of the stubborn, lazy or malcontent.
Instead, they urge you to start questioning the habits that have accumulated in your life:
- What’s one thing you routinely say yes to despite always regretting it? Say no.
- What’s one activity you get sucked into despite never wanting to go? Say no.
- What’s something you write – at work or on social media – that feels empty? Delete.
Don’t go too fast, trying to remake your life in a weekend. Move steadily, deliberately. And also, don’t forget that delete must be complemented by amplifying. They believe “In the AI era, ‘average’ is a death sentence. If your work is generic and ‘pretty good,’ a machine will do it faster and cheaper. The only thing AI cannot easily replicate is human obsession – the unique, creative deep dives that come from intense focus and nuanced experience.”
So they advise you to pick some special activity that excites you and make it a weekly habit. Pick a strength to amplify and carve out time daily to work on it. Create “One Big Thing” – something you want to be known for – and work away at it.
“Simplicity isn’t really about productivity,” they stress. “It’s about clarity. It’s about freedom. It’s about spending your finite days on Earth doing things that matter, with people you love, in ways that feel true to who you are.”
Quick hits
- Leadership consultant Mike Robbins says one of the things he is continuing to learn is that not everything that gets his attention deserves his energy. That doesn’t mean ignoring difficult situations or pretending things don’t bother you but questioning whether your reaction is actually going to help.
- New research suggests as people become increasingly connected to others, they may become less likely to expend the effort to learn the information those people share. Esther Kang, a senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Bristol Business School, calls it the connectivity trade-off: They remember where knowledge resides and who possesses it, treating their network as an external memory system.
- Ottawa thought leader Shane Parrish argues you don’t need more time. You need more focus.