#28 Perfection means that there is nothing more to leave out (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

Episode outline:

Out key lesson today, from the brilliant man who wrote the 'Little Prince', Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, is this - “Perfection means that there is nothing more to leave out.”

- All of man’s industrial efforts, all his computations and calculations, all the nights spent over working draughts and blueprints, invariably culminate in the production of a thing whose sole and guiding principle is the ultimate principle of simplicity.

- The process of reaching an ideal state of simplicity can be truly complex, the problem is one of choosing what deserves to live, at the sacrifice of what deserves to die.

- And how can you and I achieve that? To apply this key lesson we follow the three steps: 

1. Defining a singular purpose: The essence of simplicity is utility, and so we ask ourselves, what is the purpose of a thing, of a relationship, of a product, of anything we want to focus on - what use does it fulfill, why it is here on this planet, what purpose does it serve?

2. The Second step is purpose-oriented creation: once the purpose is clearly laid out in front of you - then you start building. Here, there are two rules to keep in mind:

• The first rule is this - don’t allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good. Perfection is never achieved on the first try, so as long as you keep to the north star of your purpose, you are ok. Just build.
• The second rule is to use the Simple Stick - every step of the way, as you build, as you create, find a stick and let it ask you - does it serve the original purpose in its essence? Does it contribute directly to the objectives you set out to achieve? 

3. The third and last step is Consistent thoughtful reduction: Here we finally have an opportunity to stop, take a step back, and review what we have built. Now, we start the process of thoughtful reduction, we eliminate anything and everything that does not contribute directly to the defined purpose.