Complexity is your enemy

Talking about things that no one else can
understand does not make you smart.

Genius is the ability to translate the
complex into the simple. Try to practice explaining concepts to others.

See just how simple and clear you can make
your explanations. “Any fool can
complicate things. It takes a genius to make things simple.”

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more
complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the
opposite direction.

Finns like to keep things straightforward, no hassle and to the point. So when engineers set about to create a
next-generation privacy and security app complete with features like VPN,
anti-virus, anti-tracking, and virtual location, they knew it had to be one
thing: simple.

Complexity is your enemy. Any fool can make
something complicated. It is hard to make something simple

Any
intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of
genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.

Lesson: It usually
takes a great amount of critical thinking to truly make something simple.

Once it’s made simple, and it works, it often appear so
obvious to everyone else. You’ll hear people exclaim, “That’s so simple! Why
didn’t I think of that!” Therein lies the magic. The hard part is the thinking.

Even Einstein stated, “Any fool can complicate things; it takes a genius to
simplify them.”

However, getting to
simplicity isn’t always a simple process. It’s a journey, not a destination,
and it can often be a journey of two steps forward, and one backward.

In your
journey to simplicity, follow these baby steps:

1-Learn to say
no. This is actually one of the key habits
for those trying to simplify their lives. If you can’t say no, you will take on
too much.

2-Limit your
communications: Our lives these days are
filled with a vast flow of communications: email, IM, cell phones, paper mail,
Skype, Twitter, forums, and more. It can take up your whole day if you let it.
Instead, put a limit on your communications: only do email at certain times of the
day, for a certain number of minutes (I recommend twice a day, but do what
works for you). Only do IM once a day, for a limited amount of time. Limit phone
calls to certain times too, Same with any other communications. Set a schedule
and stick to it.

3-Limit your
media consumption:

This tip won’t be for
everyone, so if media consumption is important to you, please skip it (as with
any of the other tips). However, I believe that the media in our lives —

TV, radio, Internet,
magazines, etc. — can come to dominate our lives. Don’t let it. Simplify your
life and your information consumption by limiting it.

4-Get rid of
the big items. There’s tons of little
clutter in our lives, but if you start with the big items, you’ll simplify your
life quickly and in a big way.

5-Edit closets
and drawers: Once you’ve gone through
the main parts of your rooms, tackle the closets and drawers, one drawer or
shelf at a time.

6-Simplify
your wardrobe. Is your closet bursting
full? Are your drawers so stuffed they can’t close (I’m talking about dresser
drawers here, not underwear). Simplify your wardrobe by getting rid of anything
you don’t actually wear. Try creating a minimal wardrobe by focusing on simple
styles and a few solid colors that all match each other.

7-Simplify
your computing life. If you have trouble with
too many files and too much disorganization, consider online computing. It can
simplify things greatly.

8-Limit your
buying habits. If you are a slave to materialism
and consumerism, there are ways to escape it. I was there, and although I
haven’t escaped these things entirely, I feel much freer of it all. If you can
escape materialism, you can get into the habit of buying less. And that will
mean less stuff, less spending, less freneticism.

9-Free up time: Find ways to free up time for the important stuff. That
means eliminating the stuff you don’t like, cutting back on time wasters, and making
room for what you want to do.

10-Do what you
love. Once you’ve freed up some time, be sure
to spend that extra time doing things you love.

11-Establish
routines. The key to keeping your
life simple is to create simple routines.

Simplicity brings
balance, freedom, and joy

The
simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction.

12-Embodying is more a business decision than a technical one. Consumers will only buy smaller and
simpler devices if they feel they are powerful enough for their needs. Example:
the thin Bang & Olufsen remote control is intentionally heavy, which
implies “high quality”.