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Easy to assemble (vs. fully assembled)

February 28, 2022

From “Effortless” by Greg Mckeown:

It’s striking to me that Hartman spent months trying to make each step in the online ordering process simpler but never thought to try removing steps to make the process itself simpler. There is a huge difference between the two. No matter how simple the step, it’s still easier to take no step.

It’s similar to putting things away vs. throwing things away when you try to de-clutter your home.

No matter how organized you get things when putting things away, a larger mental weight is lifted if you actually get rid of the stuff altogether.

I’m constantly shuffling things around to get my bookshelf in order and to have my electronics in the right bins. But the best place to gather things is into a garbage bag to take to Goodwill or the trash.

Auditing your time works similarly.

After you write down all the stuff that you do, you have a giant pile of stuff. You can try to organize it into adjacent buckets. But the more effective thing would be to start by just looking at which things you can remove altogether.

Can you simplify some busy, repetitive part of your day into the equivalent of a 1-click ordering system? The end result is a package at your doorstep. What steps before that aren’t necessary.

And are there hidden steps?

I’m happy to manually type my credit card number into Herman Miller’s website if it means I don’t have to assemble the chair after receiving the package. They come fully assembled.

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EffortlessGreg McKeown
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