What is Strategy? And What Does It Have To Do With Minimalism?

by Raymund Tamayo

I recently found myself reading Michael E. Porter’s classic Harvard Business Review article, What Is Strategy? It was published in 1996, but surprisingly, many of its ideas still feel relevant today.

Porter’s central argument is simple, but the more I thought about it, the more profound it became: strategy is not about doing the same things better. It is about choosing to do things differently. 

He said that strategy isn't just about efficiency, reducing costs, or copying best practices. True strategy is about choosing a distinctive position, deciding exactly what you will do, and just as importantly, what you will not do.

That idea sparked an unexpected connection in my mind to something far outside the corporate world: minimalism.

I have written about minimalism for years, initially treating it as a war on physical clutter. I focused on owning fewer clothes and simplifying my surroundings. Over time, however, my focus shifted from decluttering possessions to protecting my time, energy, and attention. Reading Porter, I realized that business strategy and mature minimalism share the exact same foundation: the necessity of trade-offs.

Porter notes that a company cannot serve everyone or do everything without losing its edge. Life operates the same way. We culturally celebrate adding more: more skills, more projects, more responsibilities. But constantly saying "yes" eventually dilutes our focus. Without realizing it, we can end up with a minimalist home but a maximalist, cluttered mind.

Another powerful concept from Porter is "strategic fit," in which a company's various activities reinforce one another rather than function as disconnected tasks. What if we applied this to our personal interests? In my case, instead of letting my writing, painting, and day job compete for my limited time, I can view them as parts of a cohesive system that reinforce one another.

As we grow older, the questions we ask ourselves must evolve. Instead of asking, "What can I get rid of?" or "What else can I achieve?", the strategic, minimalist question becomes, "What deserves to remain?"

Both strategy and minimalism force us to recognize our limited capacity. Every choice has a cost. Choosing what matters means having the discipline to let other good things go. We do not have to pursue every opportunity; we simply need to be honest about what we value most. 

And build our lives around it.