If I had more time I would've sent you a shorter email
If I had more time I would've sent you a shorter email
You have to face complexity before you achieve true simplicity.
Creating something truly simple is a lot tougher than most people think.
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To make something genuinely simple, you've got to dig deep and find the core truth.
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And that takes a lot of hard work that no one sees.
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Try removing one thing every day until you're left with just the essence of what you're building.
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The problem is that most of us believe that excellence requires a daily increase when in most cases it requires a daily decrease.
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We're too attached to our decisions, even when they're not working. We suffer from the sunk cost fallacy, which forces us to keep something we deep down don’t like just because we’ve invested several hours in it.
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I used to believe that the longer my issues, the happier my readers would be. But that doesn't make sense when you deeply think about it.
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The goal isn't to add extra words just to look like a real author. It's about getting a valuable message across in the most clear and concise way.
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That's why the real magic happens during editing, not while writing.
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The best educational books, courses, and videos I've come across have been the ones that were compressed down their essence.
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They helped me absorb the fundamentals of any given field in one or two sittings without wasting my time on irrelevant details and fluff.
When I left positive comments and reviews on these products, I noticed mixed reactions.
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Action-oriented people were really satisfied with how short and well-compressed the content was, however, consumption-oriented people couldn’t see past the appearance and complained because of how short it was.
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They thought they were getting less for their money when, in reality, it was the opposite. You’re paying to understand how to get from point A to point B in the most efficient and elegant way possible.
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Remember, simplicity often hides the hard work. To outsiders, mastery looks like the tip of an iceberg. They see the shining part, but all the revisions and cuts beneath the surface remain hidden unless the creator reveals them.
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As Winston Churchill brilliantly said: "If you want me to speak for an hour, I'm ready right now. If you want me to speak for 5 minutes, I'll need two weeks to prepare."
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Great love and respect,
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Ash Lamb
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Beautifully written. When I first joined Substack I kept wondering if my post was too long. Once I realized I’m competing for people’s time and hearts, I began cutting and gutting. Everyone’s work is worth reading- the writer has to make it worth their time.