The Complexity of Simplicity

I confess. I used to be a productivity nerd. I was convinced that I could be much more productive if I only learned the proper techniques and used the right tools. I read books. I took courses. I tried all the apps. I listened to podcasts. watched dozens of videos on YouTube.

I was wrong.

As I have gotten older, I have come to realize that when it comes to being productive, simple is better. In fact, productivity is a simple four-step process:

1. Write down everything you need to do.

2. Choose one.

3. Do it.

4. Repeat.

That’s all there is to it. It’s simple, yet so many try to turn getting things done into a complex system of techniques and apps.

Spend some time watching YouTube videos or browsing the internet, and you’ll see that overcomplicating simple things has become an industry. Notebooks are just one example. You’ll find videos on which notebook to choose. Why this $60 notebook is better than that $55 notebook. How to set up your notebook. Which notebooks are better to use with fountain pens and which work better with pencils.

Sure, I use one specific brand of notebook. I use Field Notes because they are inexpensive, they fit in my pocket, and they don’t fall apart under constant use. I don’t set it up in any special way. Sometimes, I just use 3x5 index cards. When I am working at my desk, I use a common yellow notepad … The kind you can buy at Staples in a pack of eight for less than $14.

Go to YouTube and search for “notetaking.” You’ll see hundreds of videos on the subject, covering everything from the Zettelkasten and the Cornell methods (whatever they are) to different notetaking strategies for students and working professionals. You can watch videos about all the latest notetaking apps for your computer, tablet, or phone. You can see how to format every page in your notebook.

I don’t do any of that. Years of experience have taught me that all I need to do is just write a note down and date it. That’s it. No indexing, no formatting, no cataloging, no special codes or icons. Just a note so I don’t forget something I need to know later on.

The cynical side of me says that people try to overcomplicate simple subjects so they can position themselves as experts and earn a buck. I am sure that is true of a lot of people who post on YouTube, write books, or sell courses.

I wanted to know more, so I did some searching. Here are some of the reasons I uncovered:

• Complexity bias. Donald Norman, author of Living With Complexity, says our brains favor complex explanations or solutions over simpler ones, because we believe that “simple” equals “naive” or “ineffective.”

• The illusion of control. People tend to overestimate their ability to control or influence outcomes by introducing elaborate rules, systems, or rituals. So says Ellen Langer in her paper, The Illusion of Control.

• Signaling and status. In Job Market Signaling, Michael Spence theorizes that complex language and dense processes are used to project authority, justify high fees, or establish group entry barriers.

• Diffused responsibility. In business, organizational structures often overcomplicate decision-making specifically to help diffuse individual risk, says Robert Jackall, in Moral Mazes: The World of Corporate Managers.

I can’t recall when the shift occurred, but as I have gotten older, I have come to appreciate simplicity in just about every part of my life. Simple offers less stress. Simple is peaceful. Simple is fulfilling.

That does not mean that simple is easy. That’s because our brains default to complexity while simplicity requires deliberate effort to cut away what is not needed. Every cut requires making a hard decision about what actually matters most.

We have to know what we are doing. We can’t simplify what we do not fully understand. As the old saying, often attributed to Albert Einstein, goes: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

Simplicity may be difficult, but it is worth it in the end.