According to Steve Jobs, to Focus, You Need to Say “No”

It’s about more than just turning things down.

Image by waldryano from Pixabay

Since its initial release, Apple has sold 2.2 billion iPhones. It wasn’t all smooth sailing though. During 1996/97, sales had taken a hard fall and the company ended up laying off a third of its workforce. That’s where Jobs came in. As he famously said:

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.”

Let’s see what he means.

Saying “No” Provides Direction

The problem with having too many baskets to put your eggs in is, as Jobs says:

“The total is less than the sum of its parts.”

Even though Apple’s ability to produce was, and still is, remarkable, with too many things to focus on, it’s wasted talent.

At the start of the year, I wanted to learn Italian, learn the piano and become a paid director. That’s too many eggs in too many baskets — my free time is just not abundant…