Simplification: How Letting Go Unlocks Your True Potential

Are you drowning in to-do lists, endless meetings, and low-value tasks? You’re not alone. In A Minute to Think, Juliet Funt makes a compelling case for simplification as the ultimate productivity hack. Her approach isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing less, better.

Funt introduces the 'Simplification Questions'—four powerful prompts that help you trim the fat from your schedule. 'What can I let go of?' 'Where is ‘good enough’ good enough?' 'What do I truly need to know?' 'What deserves my attention?' By asking these, you’ll begin to see which tasks actually move the needle—and which are just noise.

The book uses the analogy of 'krill' and 'tuna'—small, easy reductions and big, bold cuts. Even tiny changes, like shaving five minutes off meetings or dropping a redundant report, add up to significant gains. But sometimes, you need to go after the 'tuna'—eliminating whole projects or routines that no longer serve you. The biggest barrier? The IKEA effect: we love what we’ve built, even if it’s not useful. Funt suggests starting like an anthropologist—observe, take notes, and experiment with safe, gradual changes.

The result? More time, more focus, and more room for your best work. By letting go, you’ll discover that less truly is more.
Sources: A Minute to Think by Juliet Funt; JulietFunt.com Summaries; Next Big Idea Club