More leads us down a path of finding artificial ways of filling this need which further leads to a black hole that only seems to expand.
We aren’t used to valuing less or being told to do less of something.
We are willing to pay good money for a buffet even if we can taste just a handful of items on the table.
When you go to a doctor, you look at them suspiciously if they ask you to take too many tests. Yet, if the doctor says ‘lose weight, sleep well and get more exercise, half your problems will be solved’, you will say ‘something isn’t right, no tests, no medications, I can get this advice from the internet. Why do I have to pay for this?’ Incidentally, that might be all you need but you see the advice as being too simple.
When a marketer goes to a social media agency, they are looking for a social media strategy that will boost their image, get them more followers and likes. In many cases, this means they are looking for someone who promises more— more posts, more pictures, more likes, more #hashtags, more followers, and all the shortcuts and help to buy likes and shares.’ On the other hand, if someone were to say ‘actually, you need to stop doing what you’re doing, reduce the number of posts and gain an organic fanbase by putting out quality content that actually makes a difference’, they will be looked upon suspiciously.
Today, we don’t suffer from the problem of less in many cases. If anything, our heads are are swirling with too many choices. More leads us down a path of finding artificial ways of filling this need which further leads to a black hole that only seems to expand. This inevitably ends up with us seeking more than we need or seeking things we don’t require.
The whole concept of fake likes on social media intrigues me. In a bid to falsely buffer image and popularity, more has become a way to lure people.
Odds are, all of us need to be doing less of something. Eat less, spend less time on our phones and social media, less time trying to please people we don’t like, less time waiting for permission. When we have a limited window to make an impact, doing work that matters takes precedence over just doing more of something that doesn’t work.
If you decided to send just one mail a month to your customers, what would you put in it to make sure they open it?
If you decide to add an hour to your day, what would you do less of?
How much are you willing to pay to someone who will tell you to stop doing something or do less of something?
I’ll leave you with something I read in Tom Peters book The Little Big Things:
The great hotelier, Conrad Hilton, was having his career celebrated at a big gala. People got up and told various stories and finally someone ushered Mr. Hilton to the, up to the podium and asked, they said, “Mr. Hilton will you share some of your business secrets with us?” And Hilton goes up to the podium, looks out at the people and says, “Remember to tuck the shower curtain into the bathtub.” And with that, he turns and walks off the stage.
