Last week I went to a remote part of Norway, to an old wooden cabin in the snowy mountains: no electricity, no running water, little reception. Just the crisp air at twenty below, the sharp scent of a burning fireplace, and the silence of untouched snow. There was so much more in the less. And it made me think.
Why is simplicity good? Some of the most remarkable things in the world, in science, in business, in life, come from those who master it. The best products come from designers who remove: complexity, buttons, the iPod. The most groundbreaking science comes from simple, elegant experiments: think of Gregor Mendel and his pea plants.
Why is simplicity hard? Because it takes courage to resist the temptation of more. A disciplined pursuit of less.
And if you are going to add something, to a product, an experiment, a life, make it meaningful. For me, that meant bringing my four year old son. He made the whole thing differentiated, deeply meaningful, good, and hard.
There was so much more in the less.