Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most

by Greg McKeown

“Manifesto for Agile Software Development.” In it, they codified a set of principles for developing better software by removing obstacles and friction to create an effortless user experience. One of the twelve principles of the Agile Manifesto states, “Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential.” By this they mean that the goal is to create value for the customer, and if this can be done with less code and fewer features, that is exactly what ought to be done. While this principle refers to the process of software development, we can adapt it to any everyday process by saying, “Simplicity—the art of maximizing the steps not taken—is essential.” In other words, regardless of what our ultimate goal is, we should focus on only those steps that add value. Every nonessential step comes with an opportunity cost, so for each nonessential step removed, we gain more time, energy, and cognitive resources to put toward what’s essential.