Most pieces should be 3, 2 or 1 things

5 December 2025, updated 16 June 2026

(Hand pointing to the left with 3 fingers with nonsensical labels, by Google Gemini)

Present 3 things.

Or decide between 2 options.

Or show 1 thing.

And whichever you choose, the piece should have only 1 aim.

OK, sometimes a piece does need more than 3 things. But your audience has a lot going on, so the more things in your piece, the harder it becomes for them to recall or act. So see if you can make it 3.

(Yes, this piece is about 1 thing, but also 3! Yes, the image has 6 fingers.)

Update! Related!: An opinion about lists: avoid lists of 9 things - by Giles