Take it away!

Sam Leader Back in September, the FS gang attended a conference which attracted the finest minds working in the online industry. Naturally we were way out of our depth. Joking aside, one thing I took away has had a profound impact on how I work.

One of my favourite sessions at Web Directions South ’08 was with Daniel Burka, the creative director of the content sharing website Digg.

He talked about the evolution of the Digg site. Over the years, a number of widgets, text and menus had found their way onto Digg. To get to their current version, they did something remarkable: chucked most of them away. The cleaner, simpler result proved a massive hit with their audience.

Daniel said “We realised that subtraction is iteration, too.”

Now I don’t know about you, but I go to events with big intentions and while I’ll come away with a notepad full of scribblings, ultimately it’s a handful of sentences that stick in my mind.

This statement was the salient point of the day for me. And not just from a web design perspective.

After all, our lives are full of things to do and our attention is forever being pulled in multiple directions. Clients. Partners. Children. Our rumbling tummies.

Daniel’s words inspired me to make a list of things not to do anymore.

As I result, I kissed goodbye to a pile of books and clothes that had been earmarked for charity. I got rid of my unused gym membership, rather than suffer guilt for not going. That bank account with a $5 balance? Goneski.

I feel freer and more energised as a result, which proves subtraction really is iteration, too.

I know I’m in good company.

Every new year, my friend and colleague Robert empties his office and only stuff which has been used in the previous year is invited back in. Then there’s fashion icon Coco Chanel, who said “take one thing off before you leave the house.”

Trimming the sails is a great fillip. What are you going to get rid of?

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Finally this week, if you've not been over to the Flying Solo LIVE! site recently you're missing heaps of audio, video and download goodies.

Until next week.

Love your work,

Sam Leader is a director of Flying Solo and its editor. She is the co-author of Flying Solo - How to go it alone in business.

27 comments | Add your own 1 2 3 4 5 | Next» View all»

Sam, I'd recommend that you take a look at a publication called 'Getting Real' from www.37signals.com. Whilst it is aimed at software developers, most lessons in the book can be applied to generic business processes as well.
The guys at 37Signals are big believers in simplicity over complexity, which is the big selling point for their own online software.
Reading 'Getting Real' forced me to change a lot of my business practices to simplify, simplify simplify... Devan from Darwin, Australia
I absolutely agree - less is more!
Growing up in a house of hoarders was a big put-off for me as a kid, but it wasn't until adult life and moving house way too many times that I really mastered the art of stripping things back to the basics. (Well, okay, I didn't "master" the art!)
However I did adapt this way of being into my core and now, as I face a new move back to city living, I eagerly look forward to 2009 - fresh start, new beginning, less clutter, getting back to basics.
It's somewhat like home decorating - you have to take all the clutter out of a room to see its potential.
Like Rob's idea, my own is based on getting rid of those things that have not played a part in my life for 12 months. I am still working on a few things that I struggle to let go of (there must be potential in them somewhere!!!).
Less is more.
Back to Basics is the new B2B. Terri Mitchell from Melbourne Australia
In a doctor's room in tears once, he told me I needed to "give something up" from my busy life of work, kids, commitees, sport etc. I chose cooking and cleaning! Then got a cleaner at great expense but what a relief! Don't give up the things you love even if they make your life busy.. there's plenty of boring stuff you could give up if you're prepared to pay the right price. shauna from Kangaroo Island
What Terri said i.e. Less is More. The real challenge (in business marketing and selling) is to ensure that you only give your target market what interests them - no less, no more! Grant Hyman from Sydney | Read my articles
I love it! This is the lesson I am teaching myself at the moment, and a lifetime of hoarding is not making it easy. BUT the biggest surprise so far has been this: take away a box of stuff from a room (or from a mind) and the space left is much bigger than a box-worth. Somehow decluttering my mind of one task creates space for three others to fit! But I'm guessing the idea is to try keeping some of the space and NOT filling it straight back up again:) Nadya from Brisbane
Nice article Sam.
Do you happen to know what day Robert puts his old stuff out?
Cheers. Carl Sherriff from Sydney | Read my articles

27 comments | Add your own 1 2 3 4 5 | Next» View all»

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