Category Archives: Do Less, Not More

Infinity in our Pockets.

Do Less, Not More, Mobile Technology Implementation

For those of you who thought the “Focus” exercises for the course app, check out these pointers from Medium.  I was looking for distraction tips during finals week so I could spend less time on my phone and computer and more time on doing my work and spending time with my family as a result.  The idea is simple: remove everything from your phone that is unnecessary; anything with a stream, anything that is a search engine, and take out the email.   I thought the most resonating point he made was: “I can’t have infinity in my pocket”.

I am pretty frightened to do this, but for finals week I might give it a go.  Just typing that makes me nervous.  Anyone have any suggestions for infinity-addicts?

ARTICLE HERE: https://medium.com/life-hacks/80f8d525b0d8

A bicycle simplified… the Bicymple

Do Less, Not More, Dream Bigger

“Once you learn how to ride a bike you never forget”. There are things we learn when we are kids and never actually forget how to do it, and bicycles are a great example. We tend to look at it as a finished product, it is as good as it will ever be. Right?

We as we learned with “Jiro, Dreams of Sushi” there is always room for improvement. Even if it takes a month, a year, or a lifetime, there is no such thing as a finished product or Jiro’s case, the perfect sushi. Jiro focused on the details of his craft to keep improving, sometimes the improvement might not be in the details but in the overall aggregate. That is the case of the Bicymple.

The Bicymple by Josh Bechtel
The Bicymple by Josh Bechtel

In 2011, Josh Bechtel decided to create a great bicycle experience and his approach was to simplify. Remove chains, remove gears, strip everything down to basics , and enjoy the ride. For this he created a Kickstater campaign and got double the funding he needed. The bicymple is a reality, albeit in a prototype sense. We might have to relearn how to ride a bike but from the looks of it, it will be worth it. There is no such thing as a finished product…

Intrigued? Watch the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lzUBCRBJeg

  • Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joshbechtel/the-bicymple
  • Website: http://www.bicymple.com/

Ubuntu cutting service to focus on OS development

Do Less, Not More

Ubuntu, one of the most widely used Linux distributions, just announced that it is halting its cloud storage service so it can focus on its desktop and mobile operating systems:

Shutting down Ubuntu One file services

This sounds like a good example of a company trying to focus on a core product rather than be bogged down trying to compete in another arena. A few key quotes:

Today we are announcing plans to shut down the Ubuntu One file services.  This is a tough decision, particularly when our users rely so heavily on the functionality that Ubuntu One provides.  However, like any company, we want to focus our efforts on our most important strategic initiatives and ensure we are not spread too thin.

…

Additionally, the free storage wars aren’t a sustainable place for us to be, particularly with other services now regularly offering 25GB-50GB free storage.  If we offer a service, we want it to compete on a global scale, and for Ubuntu One to continue to do that would require more investment than we are willing to make.

 

 

 

Evan Williams on Focus and Learning From Mistakes

Do Less, Not More, Learn Ferociously

In 2005, Twitter Co-Founder Evan Williams blogged his “Ten Rules for Web Startups” which mostly revolve around narrow focus, simplicity, agility, and execution – months before Twitter was started. Williams had previously founded Blogger, which was one of Google’s first acquisitions in 2003. At the time of writing his Ten Rules, Williams was CEO of the (since failed) Odeo.

About a year later, Williams admitted in an interview that he had not been paying attention to his own advice while running Odeo. In particular – Odeo built too much, moved too slowly, and raised too much money.

Is this type of self-awareness and ability to learn from past mistakes a necessary trait for technology leaders in general, or specific to entrepreneurs?

WhatsApp: simple, doing one big thing well, worth $19bn!

Do Less, Not More

Here’s from the founder of WhatsApp;  “The simplicity and the utility of our product is really what drives us.”  It really fits our framework. One big dream, “messaging app on every smartphone in the world,” and incredibly focused, just messaging. no adds, no games, no gimmicks. Th price paid by Facebook just shows how Silicon Valley has lost any connection to reality. But good for the founders of WhatsApp.

Spirit Airlines: Do Less Means being the “Dollar Store” of the sky

Do Less, Not More

Spirit Airlines has fully embraced the focus strategy and essentially does only one thing: “Offer the Cheapest Airplane Seat” and nothing else.  The base line price of the airplane ticket literally only includes the seat. Everything else cost extra: water on the plane, extra over head luggage, even peanuts.

And despite getting one of the worst Consumer Reports ratings for customer satisfaction, Spirit Airlines breaks one billion in revenue and is the fastest growing airline.

This podcast features the CEO of Spirit Airlines advocating directly for a do less and focused strategy.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/02/14/276973956/episode-517-the-fastest-growing-least-popular-airline-in-america

Forming Habits: The idea of “exercising”

Do Less, Not More, Mobile Technology Implementation

It seems that there was some confusion in the last minutes of class today regarding the exercise of finding techniques for becoming better at focusing and simplifying in daily work. Sorry to have not been clearer. Here’s the idea in a nutshell. We can all learn to focus and simplify better. We can learn about that in the classroom and go out and do it ourselves. Our we can have a mobile “coach”–a system that drops tips on us, small techniques to implement in a day. They not only help us do better that day, but they also help us form a habit. For example; let’s say that on this coming Monday you received a notification on your phone, “Today, say NO to something you want to do that takes at least one hour of your time, then use that time instead to work on a key priority.”  So you say “No!”, and then you get stuff done that hour, feel good, and now you have taken a first step in learning to say NO. Then maybe you will just continue doing so, forming a habit of learning to say No in order to focus. These are “micro-habits” that together and cumulatively leads to more effective behaviors.

As an analogy, a few months ago I signed on to weightwather.com to learn how they cajole their customers to lose weight. They try to get people to engage in small habit changes, routines they call them. I chose to do “put down your cutlery on the table between bites” (the theory being that when you slow down eating, you eat less). Similarly, when you don’t bring your smartphone to meetings, you probably listen better , if that’s what you’re working on.

 

Less is more: Basecamp doing one product only

Do Less, Not More

Here is an interesting blog on the less is more, discussing how 37Signal is refocusing on just one core product, Basecamp software, and renaming itself Basecamp. You may use the software. The company’s basic belief is simplicity. However there is a difference whether we discuss focusing for companies, teams or individuals. A company can do several things without falling into the spread-too-thin trap, because it can delegate to different teams. There is a huge amount of research on the question of whether companies should be in multiple businesses (synergy vs. overhead). The consensus is that they ought to stay pretty focused.

http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/02/basecamps-strategy-offers-a-useful-reminder-less-is-more/