Too Much, Not Enough, or Just Right?
I’m sure you’ve probably heard the saying: “Less is More“. I would agree that, at times, saying too much, doing too much, giving too many details can take away more than it adds.
Sometimes leaving space for someone else to fill in the blanks can be truly magical. And, often, summarizing ”key take-aways” gets your point across much more effectively than losing someone’s attention half-way through.
The tricky part is knowing when to leave “well enough” alone. There is often that desire to add or give just a little bit more. It isn’t always clear when too much is simply too much, or when not enough is not enough.
Lately I’ve been starting to see how the Goldilocks principle of ”just right” can be nicely applied to embarking on new endeavors. Consider these examples:
- While it’s great to have both quality and quantity, sometimes having just the right amount of ”quality quantity” can create the more unique experience. For example: Having over 100 people leave comments on an article would be great, but who would really read them all? isn’t reading through a list of less than 20 comments much more do-able and satisfying?
- Sometimes paraphrasing thoughts gives just enough info to point someone in the direction of where you’d like them to explore further. I like how Josh Hanagarne achieves that is this post he wrote on Victor Frankl.
- Sometimes quick and simple is all that people need or have time for. For example: A “How To” guide on how to do something quickly probably shouldn’t be lengthy and detailed.
- Then again, small or “less” is relative. Someone else’s “sporadic” behavior might be another person’s regular or peak level.
- Either way, I’m sure we can agree that doing something, no matter how big or how small, is better than doing nothing. For example: Isn’t any reply (or acknowledgement) to a comment or request better than ”the sound of crickets chirping“?
- Starting small is often the best and only first step. For example, earning that first dollar in any business pursuit is a great initial goal, as explained in this: Tony Robbins/John Reese interview.
In the end, it does depend on what you are looking for. For me, I’ve been finding that sometimes when I look too much for only big things, I can under-appreciate or overlook those smaller things that can be exactly enough, too.
Can you think of other examples where “Less is More”? or, perhaps the opposite, when “More is Better”? If so, please share below. Thanks!
