Overcomplicated

Ever notice that when you have a lot going on or aren’t quite sure about something that you tend to overcomplicate it? Pick apart the details. I know I do.

Typically it’s that I don’t really understand it. My brain hasn’t wrapped itself around the idea of the thing that I’m trying to do. Or the concept I’m trying to understand. It’s almost like it needs to seep into my subconscious and that just takes time.

I haven’t found a magic pill that allows an idea to seep into my brain. Now, some of this does get achieved through marketing and messaging. Which is a whole other conversation.

Why do we call it over-complication? This is the bigger question for me. Why isn’t it just complicated? Why can’t we say that we just don’t understand it?

You know as well as I do that it’s our brains trying to fill in the gaps we don’t understand. Maybe it’s not conscious for you, that that is what your brain is doing.

How do we then fill in the gaps? How do we “uncomplicate” it? Now, we are getting somewhere.

This starts by chunking the task at hand into its component parts. Think about a building. At first, these massive structures might seem overwhelming. Like it’s overcomplicated everything that has to be done in the building. Yet, somehow, on every project we “uncomplicate” it.

All because we’ve done it before. And we are only responsible for our own discipline. And we do it piece by piece and build it all on top of each other to get to the end result. This “chunking” down of a massive or complicated project into its component parts allows us to think clearly about the specific piece. Then we can see how the whole thing goes together.

This then makes it really simple for our brains to understand. When our brain understands each piece, and how they connect, then it’s much easier for our brains to understand the whole.

So, for any complicated assignment, project, or idea, break it down into its pieces. See how those work, which will be much simpler for you to understand. Then see how each piece fits together. Then you’ll see the whole. And have a deep understanding of the entirety of the project, concept, or idea.

Then it won’t be so complicated that you make too much of a specific thing. Plus, typically when we “over-complicate” things, we are emotional about whatever it is. There is some emotion, typically anxiety or stress that gets triggered that makes us not think clearly about what’s in front of us. Confront that emotion and figure out why it’s triggering you and everything else clears up.