Continuous Re-focusing on the Essence

Complexity creeps in—always. One more field in the form. One more step in the approval process. One more edge case handled "just in case." Each addition seems harmless. Together, they bury the essence.

Products bloat one "nice to have" at a time. Processes calcify one exception at a time. Before you know it, nobody remembers why half of it exists—but everyone's afraid to touch it.

Most people add. Few subtract. And fewer still question. People conform. They inherit a process and optimize it instead of asking: do we still need this? Is this still the best way to serve the customer? Is it even the same problem we're solving today as when we introduced it? The answer is often no—but nobody's asking.

So what's the answer? Not a redesign. Not a cleanup sprint. A continuous discipline.

Cutting requires courage. It means saying no to things that once made sense. It means killing features that someone fought hard to build. It means simplifying a process that people have learned to navigate, even if navigating it has become the job itself.

This requires relentless, ongoing pruning. Small cuts, made often, before the weight becomes unbearable. It requires someone who notices when things drift—and has the conviction to pull them back. A continuous practice of asking: Can't we solve this simpler? What is the essence that we can't simplify any further?

Simplicity isn't the starting point. It's what remains after you've cut everything that isn't absolutely essential.

It's a relentless fight. But the clarity, the speed, the ease of what remains—that's worth the hardship.