Every extra step should be able to explain why it exists.

Steps accumulate in processes the way objects accumulate in a garage. Each one was added for a reason, and the reason is often long gone, but the step persists because removing it feels risky and nobody is responsible for asking. Requiring every step to justify itself is the only way to keep the total from growing indefinitely.

Take a process you run regularly and ask of each step why it exists. Where nobody knows, try removing it and see whether anything breaks. Most of the time nothing does.