Productivity in the U.S. just took a surprising sharp dip. The third quarter saw its biggest decline in almost 4 years. Hours worked rose 2.4% while productivity only rose 2.1%—thus the 0.3% drop.

Productivity is closely tied to employee satisfaction. One way to boost both is by doing less.

Yes, less.

Though it may seem completely bass-ackwards to do less when what you really want is more, that’s the game-winning play.

Often less is more—or at least better.

The “Less is more” idea recently grabbed headlines and our attention when organizing expert Marie Kondo became a worldwide sensation converting clutterers with her minimalist KonMari method. It earned her a nod as one of Time magazine’s Most Influential People in the World. In. The. World. She’s the ultimate less-is-more guru, complete with a best-selling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up or and a new Netflix series “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.”

“Less is more” works with home organization, art, architecture and even social media—where Twitter threw down the minimalist gauntlet with its original 140-character limit. It turns out “less is more” also works wonders in business.

Perhaps the best less-is-more business tale comes compliments of the big-thinkers at NASA, which has more of a more-is-more reputation. Despite complex challenges—and even more elaborate solutions—sometimes the best solution to a problem is the simplest. Decades ago NASA allegedly spent more than $1 million and 12 months to develop a pen that would write in zero gravity and low pressure. The Russians? They used a pencil. The story unfortunately isn’t true, but the lesson is.

Keeping Employees Happy By Keeping It Simple

The key to achieving “less is more” in business is embracing the K.I.S.S. method: “Keep It Short and Simple.” Or, the version you’ve likely heard more often: “Keep it Simple, Stupid,” which originated with our friends in the U.S. Navy. According to K.I.S.S.—the principle, not the painted ’70s rockers —most systems work best if they are kept simple, so unnecessary complexity should be avoided.

If you want to turn up the volume on productivity and happiness, it’s time to think simpler. Simplicity is a key driver of happiness in the workplace. And happiness is the ultimate why, the most sustainable competitive advantage and the ultimate currency in business. Today’s most successful companies prioritize employee happiness to boost employee engagement, loyalty and productivity.

In business, the more you can cut complexity, the more efficient you’ll be and the better experiences you’ll create. I’m talking about whacking cumbersome rules, processes and protocols to open up possibility—and productivity. Psychologically speaking, simplicity and order inspire focus, awareness, clarity and direction, all of which lead to employee satisfaction and happiness.

The answer to keeping employees happy lies in the H.A.P.P.I.N.E.S.S. formula that I and coauthor Rosaria Cirillo Loumann detail in Yellow Goldfish, our guide to the nine ways to find and create H.A.P.P.I.N.E.S.S. in the workplace. In the book, we look at how more than 300 companies provide little extras to contribute to the happiness of their customers, employees and society.

Simplicity is the eighth factor of the H.A.P.P.I.N.E.S.S. equation, and the eighth in a blog series taking a closer look at all nine factors that help businesses increase happiness to drive growth, productivity, success and bottom-line results. Read the first seven blogs in the series here:

Health – Google, Ben & Jerry’s, Cisco And Zappos Show How Napping Is One Way To Health And Happiness At Work

Autonomy – If You Love Your Employees, Set Them Free: Autonomy Is Key To Employee Engagement

Purpose – How Do Ben & Jerry’s, Google And Facebook Boost Employee Engagement And Happiness? They Know Why

Play – To Win The Customer Loyalty Game, Southwest Airlines And Epic Games Play For Keeps

Integrity – How Amazon, New Belgium Brewing Company And Tony Chocolonely Put Social Impact Front And Center To Lift The Curtain On Integrity

Nature – L.L. Bean, Microsoft, And Amazon Tell Happy Employees To ‘Take A Hike!’

Empathy – Soft Skills Deliver Hard Bottom-Line Results For Companies Like Lexus, UPIC Health And Google

_{Simplicity Is As Simplicity Does}

Global brand strategy firm Siegel+Gale studies brand simplicity via its annual World’s Simplest Brands Index, and reports simple workplaces lead to better employee engagement and better results. A stock portfolio of the simplest global brands identified by the firm has outperformed the average of the major indexes by a whopping 679% since 2009. The takeaway: Simplicity pays.

If you want to boost productivity and results, simply do less. Simplicity streamlines business, creating better customer experiences, better outcomes and happier and more productive employees.

How do we create happiness? Through exceptional experiences. In Yellow Goldfish, we looked at several companies creating remarkable experiences—and results—with simplicity, including T-Mobile and Apple.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile set out to find a simpler way to empower its Netherlands employees to answer questions and complaints in less time. The solution: the NL CEO mobile app, which simplified connectivity and the customer resolution process. The app enables everyone in the company to submit a ticket to customer service—and get a response within 48 hours. Beyond helping employees’ friends and family solve issues quickly and more directly, the app also allows employees to give personally recognized benefits to customers, like a discount on their next invoice. In one year the Customer Experience Officers servicing the app saw 48,000 benefits given, nearly 2,000 problems resolved and more than 5,000 new customers gained. That’s using less to get more.

Apple

You can’t talk simplicity without talking Apple. When it comes to simplicity, Apple is a next-level player, and has been since Day One. Cofounder Steve Wozniak was originally inspired to make a simpler computer that would be accessible to everyone who wasn’t a card-carrying member of the nerd squad. He produced the first computer with a typewriter-like keyboard and the ability to connect to a regular TV—the archetype of the modern computer. Apple’s drive to simplify is baked in, and is the hallmark of the brand. Its relentless focus on simplicity has produced revolutionary consumer devices like the iPod, iPhone and iPad, and a trillion-dollar valuation in the fall of 2018, which it recently hit again this fall.

Netflix

Siegel+Gale most recently named Netflix the World’s Simplest Brand. According to Siegel+Gale, Netflix wins with its exceptional ease of experience. Netflix, by the way, is also the leading internet entertainment service in the world. Again: In. The. World. Who won silver and bronze? ALDI and Google round out the Top 3 World’s Simplest Brands.

“The top performers in our study operate in crowded, highly competitive marketplaces. That said, their ability to consistently deliver their brands with simple, compelling experiences sets them apart,” said David Srere, Co-CEO and Chief Strategy Officer at Siegel+Gale in a press release about the index. “Companies will benefit greatly by keeping it simple for customers…or suffer the consequences.”

The takeaway is simple: Do less to get more. Take a cue for the master:

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

What can you do to simplify?