“We think of genius as being complicated. But geniuses have the fewest moving parts. . . ."

You've seen this meme from Hangover, right?

This is often how we imagine geniuses; as something grand and convoluted. A labyrinth of thoughts, a symphony of complexity that leaves us in awe. We picture beautiful minds like Einstein or da Vinci surrounded by complicated equations or intricate sketches, their minds buzzing with a thousand gears turning at once. But what if we’ve got it backwards? What if genius isn’t about adding more, but about taking away?

As the saying goes,

"We think of genius as being complicated. But geniuses have the fewest moving parts."

• Peter Schjeldahl, art critic

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At its core, genius is about efficiency. streamlined force.

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Focus on the details and have as few details as possible.

Zero in on what truly matters (the critical few) while letting go of the trivial many.

When you do that, when you focus on details, you’re not scattering your energy across everything. You limit the clutter, you limit the noise, you limit distractions.

Practice the art of doing less, but better.

Less phone conversations with your two meat sticks. Less to-do lists with tasks that don't move the needle.

Say "no" as often as you say "yes".

I often hear people say they are good at multitasking, but is this actually possible? I say no. The human brain doesn't do parallel processing, Whoever says they can multitask is confused, they're just switching between tasks and loosing efficiency in the process.

Pick your details wisely, keep them sparse, and pour everything into them. Efficiency isn’t about speed or volume—it’s about direction. When you stop multitasking and start single-tasking with intent, you don’t just finish things; you finish them well. That’s where real success lives.

I'll leave you with this clip of Jack Dorsey on the power of focusing on the right narrow set of details:

This clip inspired me to write this journal entry which is intended to be advice to myself. If you find ay of it inspiring or useful, please feel free to use it, quote it or start a conversation.

I'm testing out a new feature on @keychain that lets you generate delegation QR codes. If you'd like to support me with a a temporary delegation, it would be much appreciated.