How to make anything

"First , get a clear notion of what you desire to accomplish, and then in all probability you will succeed in doing it...Keep a sharp look-out upon your materials; get rid of every pound of material you can do without; put to yourself the question, 'What business has it to be there?' Avoid complexities, and make everything as simple as possible."

(Henry Maudslay (1771-1831), engineer and entrepreneur, quoted in James Hamilton's London Lights from James Nasmyth - Engineer: an Autobiography edited by Samuel Smiles.)

Understanding-economy-simplicity: how to go about approaching anything.