On Brevity

min read

At 175 words per minute.

2026-05-15 Back to posts

A clean, empty desk with a single pen sitting next to a white notebook

Why using fewer words at the right moment is the ultimate competitive advantage.

On Brevity

The most powerful thing you can say is often the thing you leave unsaid.

Introduction

We live in a world that rewards volume. Social algorithms favor the prolific.

We have been conditioned to believe that more is always better and we simultaneously aren’t being heard.

Over-explanations and fluff have become dangerous.

Today, a single extra sentence can be clipped, stripped of its context, and fed into the internet machine.

The most impactful communicators understand a fundamental truth: absolute precision beats volume. It’s about using the correct words, at the exact correct time.

The Cultural Cost of Excess Noise

We are living through an era where communication has been weaponized. People are actively looking to misunderstand you.

Lately, we’ve seen horrific consequences where people have been assassinated because of misconstrued words, viral rumors, and bad actors intentionally lying.

Once there is room left for interpretation, the internet will fill that space with its worst possible assumption. It almost always devolves into a conspiracy.

The fewer unnecessary words you put out into the world, the less reality can be warped.

The Programmer’s Paradox: Code is Liability

If you spend your days writing software, you already understand this concept implicitly.

Think about how junior developers write code versus how seasoned engineers approach a problem.

A junior dev will often drop a 200-line monster function filled with redundant variables and overly complex logic to solve a problem.

But an experienced engineer looks at that monster and sees a massive security risk. They know that every single line of code is a liability. Often referred to as Tech Debt, it’s the hidden cost of writing code.

It’s another line that can hide a bug, another line that can be exploited, and another line that creates unintended side effects.

The exact same rule applies to the words that come out of your mouth or the updates you post online. Every extra word you use is just another dependency that can break, confuse the listener, or be completely weaponized against you.

The Right Words at the Right Time

Brevity isn’t just about cutting things short for the sake of it.

True brevity is about impact, timing, and unassailable clarity.

Using the correct words at the correct time respects the gravity of human interaction.

It shows that you have already done the heavy lifting of sorting through the chaos in your own head before forcing the world to react to it.

Final Thoughts

The next time you are about to speak on a sensitive topic, send a heated message, or post your thoughts online, take ten seconds to read through it.

Look for the fluff. Cut them out mercilessly.

Use fewer words, but make sure the ones you choose leave no room for misinterpretation.


Bottom line:

Want to cut through the bloated technical noise holding your business workflows back?

Book a Free Consultation with Luniv Technology. We build simple, elegant solutions that do exactly what you need.

Nick Stambaugh is an entrepreneur & enterprise software engineer

Recent Posts

On Brevity

Why using fewer words at the right moment is the ultimate competitive advantage.

2026-05-15

Read more →

#Philosophy #SelfHelp

Selling an html file for a few grand

While the tech around us is constantly evolving, that doesn't mean what is new is always the correct tool for the job.

2026-05-15

Read more →

#Business #Tech

I Don't Follow, I Subscribe

For over 7 years, I have almost never engaged with social media. I'm sharing my story to help those who are addicted to social media or need direction in their careers.

2026-04-09

Read more →

#SelfHelp #SocialMedia

Why I Let GitHub Actions Maintain My GitHub Profile README

How manually updating your GitHub profile README quietly fails at scale, and how I use GitHub Actions to keep it accurate, current, and maintenance-free.

2026-01-06

Read more →

#Automation #DevOps #Engineering

Why Your Astro JavaScript Works in Chrome but Breaks in Firefox

How browser inconsistencies in JavaScript APIs can silently tank your Astro site, and why engineers often miss them.

2025-12-25

Read more →

#WebDev #Astro #Frontend #JavaScript

Software Can Stop Losing You Money

How engineers can apply software thinking to maximize sales, reduce errors, and improve business outcomes.

2025-12-25

Read more →

#Business #Tech #Opinion