Remember, they said, “work hard,” not “make things hard.” Ergo, not everything has to be so complicated.
Disclosure: This post is secretly part of my evil plan to make life easier and have lots of company doing it. Proceed at your own risk, my friends.
Why Do We Insist on Making Everything So Complicated?
That’s the money question! The cynical answer is so lawyers, accountants, and greedy bastards can make lots of money off of the willing masses. Notice I didn’t even bother accusing politicians of being involved for two reasons…
- I refuse to go political, and
- They couldn’t pull off anything that sophisticated if they actually figured out how to get together on something.
Did you happen to pick up on the willing masses part though? I’m serious about that one.
The biggest reason is that we are willing.
You would think with as often as we’ve heard the “keep it simple” mantra, or the “less is more” rule, we would start to believe it. Yet, we still insist on making everything so freaking complicated and acting as if we’re more productive because of it.
Strategy consultant Steve Tobak says,
We mistakenly believe it makes us sound smart when, in reality, it just makes us sound like babbling idiots.”
Sounds very human, doesn’t it? (You can read his post here).
Let’s start with tech.
Tech was supposed to free us up from the tedious parts of our world so we could enjoy life more. Instead, most of us use it as a ‘multiplier.’ Why? Because of our thirst to make everything harder and more complicated than it needs to be. Tech doesn’t solve near as many problems as it enables.
You do have a simple solution—Take a break from your tech as often as you can. Okay, okay, start with as often as you’re willing and build up from there. Teach yourself to leave technology behind so you can free your noses from your screens and notice the incredible world around us.
Taking a break, minimizing distractions, and embracing simplicity is difficult in today’s world. Most of us aren’t ready to ditch our smartphones or social media, the isolation isn’t worth the departure. Nor is avoiding technology entirely the answer.”
—Joshua Becker, founder of BecomingMinimalist.com
In my speed-research, I found another reason that seems to support the tech argument as well.
Our brains thrive on stimulation of most any kind.
Philippe Denichaud and John Parikhal of Breakthrough Management explain that the human brain is a stimulation hog… it’s always working, and it likes being busy.
The brain keeps busy by understanding, solving, deciding, debating, arguing, influencing, growing, opine-ing, or whining… This means that even if something is simple, our brain concludes that it can’t be that simple and proceeds to make it much more complicated”
Don’t those guys just sound super smart?
I used to wonder when life would get easier, or at least not so frustrating.
Let’s consider reframing that thought to this one… when will I begin to allow life to get easier?
What makes this all so difficult? Here’s my theory… It’s difficult because making everything so hard, so complicated, is much easier than making the hard choices that would result in making things easier.
The alternative is to own your path and to do the incredibly difficult work of choosing with intent and then sticking with it.”
—Seth Godin, Seth’s Blog
It’s hard to say no even when our plates are already spilling over. Saying “no” is a hard choice because it feels uncomfortable. Even though it’s self-sabotage to get all pumped up and overcommit… it’s often just easier to give in and say yes.
Keeping life simple takes work. Overcomplicating just about anything makes it all feel more worthwhile in an odd but satisfying way. But it’s not.
Make sense? No, not to me either.
I’d be worried if it did.
Do your best to keep things simple. Oh, and be untucked.
p.s. And here’s another disclosure, this post was speed-researched on the internet. You’ve heard of that, right? Most people leave out the research part. I at least did some, though be it in a very big hurry—which I am openly admitting.
p.p.s. By the way, are you noticing a slightly different tone here this week, or is it just me? Don’t worry… it’s the caffeine. That’s all. I’ll be my calmer self next week, I promise.
Sign up here to receive my latest posts directly in your inbox. Never spammy, always interesting. You can also get a copy of my free eBook. You’ll love it, I promise.
Copyright © 2020 Jeff Meister – All Rights Reserved
Good insights! Though unrelated, this reminded me of my realization this week. One only needs to wash fresh ginger or turmeric (not peel it) when putting it in the blender for a smoothie. Wonder how much time I’ve wasted over the years. Working on Keeing it Simple!
Me too, Laurie. I’ve noticed a couple of things recently as a result of being in downsizing mode. All I can do is wonder about the merits of being human.
Yet another great read Jeff. Appreciate your insight. Thanks for sharing
Mike, that means so much coming from you! Thanks for reading, my friend