"If you seek tranquillity, do fewer things, better. To do what is necessary...and in the way a social being should do it."

In 1997, Steve Jobs returned to Apple, the company he had founded. Apple was weeks away from bankruptcy. The company was bleeding money because it was trying to do too much. It had a confusing product line with dozens of different computers, printers, and gadgets. The engineers were exhausted, and the customers were confused.

One day, Jobs called a meeting. He walked to a whiteboard and drew a simple box. He divided it into four quadrants. He labeled the columns "Consumer" and "Pro." He labeled the rows "Desktop" and "Portable." He told his team, "This is it. We are only going to make four computers. One for each box. We are canceling everything else."

The room was shocked. He was killing 70% of their projects. He was firing people. He was angering investors. But Jobs understood the Stoic principle perfectly. By trying to do everything, Apple was doing nothing well. By reducing the company's focus to the "Essential Few", Apple was able to make those four computers the best in the world. This disciplined subtraction saved the company and eventually made it the most valuable corporation on earth.

Marcus Aurelius warns us that we suffer from the same bloat that Apple did. We say yes to everything. We join every committee. We chase every hobby. We try to be friends with everyone.

The result is not excellence. It's exhaustion.

Marcus gives us the formula for tranquility: Do fewer things.

But notice the caveat: "To do what is necessary...and in the way a social being should do it."

This isn't an excuse to be lazy. It is a command to be surgical. You cut away the trivial so you can pour your limited energy into your actual duties. If you're too busy to call your mother, you're not "productive", you're negligent. You have let the unnecessary crowd out the necessary.

Errors & Corrections

• Don't confuse "busyness" with "importance". Being busy is often a sign of a lack of priority.

Don't use this as an excuse to avoid hard work. You cut the fluff so you can work harder* on the things that actually matter.

• Don't fear the word "No". "No" is a shield that protects your ability to say a meaningful "Yes" to your duty.

Applications to Modern Life

Work

Look at your calendar. How many meetings are there just for the sake of having a meeting? How many reports do you write that no one reads? Stop doing them. Or do them quickly and imperfectly so you can save your energy for the deep work that actually moves the needle for your team.

Parenting

Modern parents often sign their kids up for soccer, piano, coding, and karate all at once. The family spends the whole week driving in a minivan, stressed and tired. Do fewer things. Pick one activity. Spend the rest of the time eating dinner together. That is doing what is necessary for a relationship.

Social Media

We follow hundreds of accounts. We consume thousands of posts. This is "doing many things, poorly." It fragments the mind. Unfollow 90% of the accounts. Follow only the ones that teach you or inspire you. Regain your mental space.

Interpersonal Relationships

You cannot be a good friend to fifty people. If you try, you will be a shallow friend to all of them. Pick your "Essential Few", the people who truly need you and whom you truly love. Invest in them deeply. Ignore the rest of the crowd.

Maxims

• Less, but better.
• If it isn't necessary, it's a thief.
• The art of subtraction.
• Excellence requires refusal.

In-depth Concepts

Askēsis (Training/Discipline)

The Stoics practiced askēsis, which means "training". A major part of this training was learning to refuse things. It is the discipline of saying no to a pleasure, a distraction, or a request. Every time you say no to a non-essential, you strengthen your will.

Oligopragmosyne (Doing Few Things)

This is the specific Greek concept Marcus is referencing. It doesn't mean doing nothing (laziness). It means minding your own business and focusing on your own role. It is the opposite of polypragmosyne (busybodiness), where you run around meddling in everyone else's affairs but neglecting your own soul.