The power of simplicity

Life will always get more complicated. Technology is an obvious culprit but so are changing attitudes and social norms which are influencing our relationships, the way we work, our gender identities, and our expectations of the kind of life we expect to live. Our buzzing phones with their messages, chats and a stream of images and videos fight for our attention and alert us to the choices and the complexities of the lives of others. Every day throughout the day there are decisions to be made, and it's making us jaded. We only have so many 'Attention Units' available to us and, frankly, we're wasting them on which food truck to go to for lunch.

Complexity can cause chaos. When life, work, relationships - everything that matters - becomes too complicated; things go wrong. And when what's at fault, broken or generally screwed up isn't that obvious or clear why it's broken; then it's hard to fix.

So, simplicity is important. 

To make things simple, here is a definition of simplicity: "the quality or condition of being easy to understand or do".

We've been thinking wrongly about simplicity 

I'm a big fan of Marie Kondo, who advocates that we cut out the clutter in our lives and reduce our possessions down to the essentials. But most people talk about her message of throwing things out and the search for peace in minimalism, rather than the reality of her core message:

“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.” 

Marie Kondo's core message is actually about what we choose to keep, not throw away; because what we surround ourselves with should speak to our heart and express who we are today, not keep us trapped in the past.

When we think about simplicity we invariably think about what is there, what is left, and not on the process by which we got there.

So, simplicity is decisions on how we live our lives, and a choosing to keep our lives simple in this complex world is smart because, more than just stripping things back to their essentials, simplicity is about prioritisation.

As a quick aside, it's important that we are clear on the differences between decisions and choices. Decision = the act of or need for making up one's mind. Choice = the right, power, or opportunity to choose. 

Simplicity is exercising our power to choose by deciding on the essential over the secondary and the inconsequential.

Fundamentally, simplicity is a state of mind.

The power of simplicity

Simplicity isn't then an emptying out of your life of the tired, the worn out, the useless, and the bad. More than this, simplicity is the vigilance to focus your attention, your energies and your emotions on what matters most to you. 

As the author and real estate entrepreneur Gary Keller says in 'The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results':

“Success demands singleness of purpose. You need to be doing fewer things for more effect instead of doing more things with side effects. It is those who concentrate on but one thing at a time who advance in this world.”

What you fill your day with is far less about what you are getting done in that day, and far more about who you are and what you are becoming. Waste your time and you're wasting your life. Simplify and focus on what matters and you are enriching your life and the lives of others.

The power of simplicity is in its shaping of your life on what is important and good, and not frittering it away on the mundane, average, commonplace, unnecessary, and unneeded.

Simplicity requires courage but it's worth it

Sometimes we have to make choices when the benefits or consequences are unclear. When we say "No" to something in order to focus on what is most important we are turning away from possibilities. That date you didn't go on, the business opportunity passed up, the night out you said no to - all of these decisions and more are us being brave and putting what we think is important first. But, like pretty much anything that's tough and makes us fearful, the more we do it, the easier it gets.

Steve Jobs knew a thing or two about the efforts involved in keeping things simple. This, after all, was a man who wore the same outfit every day because he didn't want to waste brainpower on choosing an outfit each morning.

"Simple can be harder than complex: you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."

And if moving mountains on what's important to you isn't a good enough reason to be vigilant and vigorous about keeping your life simple, then I've no idea what is.

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This article is the first of two about simplicity. On Thursday I'll be exploring the most powerful way to create more simplicity in your life and work.

Any comments or thoughts before then, as always, appreciated.