semplice / sencillo / ??? / simple

easily understood or done; presenting no difficulty

It doesn't matter what language you speak, think, write or dream in. We can all agree, simple is better. But, we are all equally guilty of over ____________ {complication, designing, analysing, thinking....} more often than we'd like to acknowledge.

For context, i'm still making my way through Italy (more like, eating, drinking, walking, sweating, smiling....). As a first-time visitor to this magical country, every medieval town, duomo, centro, lago, piazza is leaving me breathless. Unsurprisingly, the engineer in me is marvelled by the scale of architectural and design brilliance. And we haven't even touch on the art (save that for another time).

But, what does any of that have to do with simplicity.

Whenever I (the family) plan a holiday, we pick ONE country (not a country hopping race around the continent). By intentionally limiting the choice, we get rid of any secondary noise/distraction.

We then (depending on the number of days), decide upon key regions based on ease of access/travel and their uniqueness.

Beyond that, it comes down to divvying up the time (factoring travel days) between those regions.

And then, we lock in the accommodations, rentals, tickets etc.

There are exceptions. e.g. we locked in a week in Umbria. We know where we are staying, but thats about it. Next, its all about talking to locals, recommendations of where the local will eat, go (not), visit etc. These are the sections that I love the most - as there is a constant flow. They are simple.

So, does any of that apply elsewhere?

During my mentoring sessions, corporate innovation workshops and school programs, the mentee/client/school almost always presents with a challenging situation. A conflict of sorts. Often borne out of over { ...... }.

Here are steps you can take to "plan your holiday" - take it back to the Country / Region / Time / Actions.

• Country: The problem you are solving (or you think needs solving). This is where your classic #designthinking steps in. And yes, it usually helps you clarify the problem might not necessarily be what you thought it was. You might have wanted to go to sunny seaside country (Portugal) but landed up with Italy
• Region: This is the fun bit. I'd put the people impacted by the problem as regions (market segments/categories)
• Time: This is where the rubber starts to hit the road (sorry! holiday rental car reference). The resources on hand. We start to focus in on what can and can't be done. The planning, scheduling, allocating.
• Actions: The best laid plans start to roll out. But even the the GPS cuts out at the worst time, the weather kicks in and you forgot to pack your raincoat.... etc.
• An EXTRA (super-effective) addendum: The simple, flexible, talk to the locals tip. Often, as the plans roll into action, building in the adaptability to listen to the market, the user, the customer and change tact leads to effortless innovation through simplicity.

So, as I switch back to my "airplane mode", with my head spinning with countless stories of travel and conversations that I know I will bring back to my workshops, programs and sessions... I encourage you to think about things in YOUR life that you CAN simplify. Holidify.. Holiday'fi.....(is that. word) it. I know you will enjoy a renewed sense of innovation through simplicity.

PS: Photos from my travels through Italy have been intentionally excluded from this article.

#designthinking #humancentereddesign #mentoring #coaching #leadership