I know we hear that from someone, somewhere or read it from something almost every day but really what does it mean?

As I was “googling” this phrase today, I came across an interesting blog that I wanted to share with you. I couldn’t have said it better, so I won’t. 🙂

Written by Mike Burns …

The phrase “less is more” has been floating around the internet with increasing circulation. Many people have adopted it as a mantra and have found it to be very true in their personal and professional lives.

Much of the fuss is due to the fact that many people around the world (myself included) are sick of being too busy and overwhelmed. We know we can’t have and do everything, so we decide to fight the “clutter” that forms in our lives.

“Less is more” is being uttered and embraced more now than ever. However, there are others who either: 1) Don’t know what it means, or, 2) Are frustrated with the simplistic, naive sound of it.

Fair enough.

I’ll take a quick stab at an explanation.

First of all, here’s what we DON’T mean:

We DON’T mean you can’t buy anything new.

It’s not true that proponents of minimalism don’t have “stuff”. We do. It’s okay to like particular things over others. It’s even okay to have expensive things. In fact, it’s even okay to have two duplicate things that serve the same purpose.

There are definitely those who would go to extremes and forsake all personal property. There are those who refuse to buy anything because they feel like they would be contributing to the materialistic machine. But that’s not how most of us think.

“Less is more” doesn’t mean you can’t have things.

We DON’T mean that less stuff equals higher morality.

You’re not better than everyone else because you have less. It’s not the “moral high road,” necessarily. If we get too caught up in counting and measuring, we risk missing the point.

Some people may find themselves reasoning… “If one is better than two, then zero is better than one.” …like LESS always equals better.

If that’s the case, they may eventually find themselves sitting at home with zero. Zero friends, zero
possessions, zero cups of coffee. And that’s not a happy place.

So, what do we mean?
Simply this…

When we narrow our focus, we have greater impact in those areas.
Some examples:
When we schedule less appointments, we can give more focused attention to those we keep, as well as breathing easier in the margin.
When we expose ourselves to less screen time, we tend to be more creative, less fatigued, and have less risk of damaged eyesight.
When we have less clutter in our homes and workplaces, we have more peace of mind and better quality work.
When we buy less, we have more to save, give & invest.
When we take less work home, we can spend more time with our family & friends.
When we put less in our schedule, budget, closet, life…we tend to have better results.
That’s the idea.

“Less is more” is not an absolute statement on how life should be. It’s simply an acknowledgment of what tends to be true.

When I look at my life, I notice that the times when I take on too much end up biting me. When I limit those things to the higher priorities, I improve my health and get the most important things done.

So, in those times, “Less is more.”