QUOTE : Use More Extreme Criteria. Think of what happens to our closets when we use the broad criteria: “Will I wear this someday?” The closet becomes cluttered with clothes we never wear and probably never will. If you ask, “Will I absolutely wear this in the next six months?,” you’re more likely to get rid of an item to make space for something better. Simplification works especially well when you use extreme criteria to challenge how things are done. Some examples: • To solve this problem, give me a solution that would shock people. • To solve this problem, give me an idea that would get you fired. • To solve this problem, give me an idea that would eliminate all or a seemingly impossible amount of something. Example: A group within a telecom company wanted to cut meetings, so they challenged each business unit to eliminate 50 percent of their meetings, knowing full well that this would be near impossible. In the end, managers reporting cutting 15 percent of their meetings, greater than the 5 percent they originally expected.