Simple is Better Than Complexity: Why Simple Is the Best
My mentor once said to me, “Life is simple. We are the ones who complicate it” I was only in my early 20s when he said this; honestly, I did not understand what he meant by those words.
Today, many years later, I have come to realize how truly profound those words were and can be. This article will talk about simplicity, what it means to you and me, why simple is better than complex, and so much more.
What is simple is better
Read the statement again “Life is simple. We are the ones who complicate it. “
Stop and think about this for a minute. The paradox here is that we can see and feel and know and be sure, but it’s our thoughts and actions that make life complicated. The consequences of our feelings are often the source of many difficulties that we encounter. We will have a positive and negative outlook for any given scenario and start to make decisions based on our experiences and what we think is the best.
Harvard professor George Whitesides talks about the science of being simple on TED where “Simplicity and predictability are characteristics of simple things.”
However, we often overlook it and think what we assume is the best, which complicates a very simple situation.
- What to do?
- How to do it?
- When to do it?
When questions and options start to cloud your mind. You start to weigh A versus B versus C, and the mathematical equation appears out of nowhere when all we need to do is, keep it simple and do it. It is why simple is better than complex because there is no reason to complicate things than they already are. You can simplify everything you do down to a single motivation.
Simple is better quotes by John Maeda
“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful”
Embracing a simple is better mindset; you will become more efficient and accomplish more things in a shorter time. Life becomes easier to understand, and your goals will be much clearer.
Simplicity is more than simply doing or suggesting simple things. It represents a way of life and thinking that results in happiness and contentment in all areas of our daily lives.
What is the opposite of simple
The opposite of simple would be better known as complexity, complication, or even unnecessary at times.
Complexity meant entanglement of human works, the state of being very involved and complicated. Humans like to complicate things for no valid reasons whenever we desire everything to be ideal. We appear to believe that life must be extremely complicated for us to enjoy living here, and we all do it at some point in our lives when the obvious is a simple answer.
What is exactly complex
The aim of the article is why simple is better. “Complexity” is a hard word to understand. This word is used when something is difficult or confusing. Complexity is also something that does not exist in nature or the real world. It only exists in our minds where we assume that anything complicated must be superior to something simple.
We’ve been indoctrinated to believe that anything simple cannot be useful or good enough, which is definitely not true.
When something is simple, it is easier to understand and follow through than something complex in the real world. Look at mother nature; things are always simple because everything has a function or part to play. Very few things exist in nature that have no purpose at all.
In the ecosystem, you are either at the top of the food chain or the bottom. Every predator has a predator in its balance in every ecosystem. Nature is about survival and reproduction to sustain balance, an extremely simple equation.
If you look at it, complexity only exists where man-made things are concerned. It is interesting to note that in our modern society, with all the advancements of technology to help us make things easy, things have become more complex. We have managed to make Life harder on ourselves because we have allowed so much unnecessary complexity in almost everything we do.
Many things are better left simple; just because something holds a lot of value does not mean it will benefit you.
Why is simple always better
Simplicity is not just about saying things in a single word instead of using long sentences to describe them. That’s not the true meaning of simplicity at all; rather, it is a way of living.
That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. 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.
Steve Jobs
Simplicity, in my opinion, is best defined as a mindset of keeping things simple and not complicating them just because you think that it would be better that way.
It is a lifestyle that brings about positivity and happiness in one’s life. It is also an approach to life that ignores unnecessary things while focusing on what matters. Simple people are known to be happier than complex people because they know how to use what they have to enjoy life to the fullest.
Take life as it comes; many situations and things are overly complicated by what we believe can be better during that time which may or may not be true. Which in many ways, we add more complications to the already complicated situation without realizing it.
Simple things are more adaptable and changeable because they have a few core features; it is easier to modify or improve upon, which also means more opportunity. On the contrary, complicated things often become rigid and difficult to change; it leads to more demotivation and unhappiness, which I believe you are more than familiar with.
Why is simple more
Simple does not mean a lack of detail or clarity. It means having a very clear view of what matters most. When you straightforwardly approach things, you’ll have a clear perspective and a clear route to follow. Everything comes with more clarity allowing you to focus on the necessary and achieve what is needed.
Simple is more because you reduce the number of unnecessary obstacles in your way. Directly leading to less stress and more action towards what needs to be done. It helps you stay organized, focus, and boost your productivity; less time is wasted trying to figure out how to do something not beneficial to your goal.
Is simple always best
While it is clear that simple is better in many ways, how can we be sure that simple is always the best?
There are many benefits to being more simple in our approach to things, but that doesn’t mean that every situation is better handled with simplicity.
While it may be easier for us to understand something simpler, the same thing cannot always be said about other individuals, especially if they have been used to more complicated things. What is very simple to you may be confusingly complicated for someone else, and in most cases, we try so much to make things simpler than they need to be when in reality, it can’t be simpler.
There are indeed situations in life where there is no simple way out. Certain things are naturally more complicated than others, and it would be wrong to make them simpler, which might make things worse or completely fail.
Take everything as it comes; if you think that something is better handled in a simpler manner, then go for it, don’t bother complicating it even further. Handle every situation with an open mind and whatever approach you feel like handling it with.
Simplicity is the key to success
Simplicity opens up opportunities. It is the key to success because it breeds confidence, removes hesitation, and causes fearlessness, an important characteristic of successful people.
Opportunities
Your approach would be very resulted-oriented, and you will not be distracted by the unnecessary. Your mind is clear of distractions and clutter, allowing you to stay focused. This approach allows you to think more clearly, create better memories and give your brain the right kind of workout, which helps improve cognitive skills such as memory, attention & alertness.
Leadership
Simplicity is also an act of leadership. Making things very simple for your team or other individuals show them that you are confident in what has to be done and how it would be done. Setting high standards for yourself will encourage others to perform better.
Reduced options
Simple reduces the number of options open to us. Think about it, when there are too many options and things to choose from, we end up getting confused and quickly lose interest. It results in poor choices, irritability, frustration, and pain. The feeling of being overwhelmed is a horrible one; simplicity reduces the number of decisions open to us so that we only have the important ones left, which will benefit our goal or cause efficiently.
10 Benefits Why Simple is Best
Simplicity brings about clarity of thought and purpose, which leads to improving many things like relationships, work, and so much more.
When something becomes overcomplicated, it is no longer useful; simple is the opposite of this, and so it is useful to all who seek simplicity in their lives because it benefits us.
Simplicity brings about a better sense of well-being, which allows happiness to grow and multiply because we are not trying to complicate things by making them more than what they are.
Here are 10 benefits of taking a simple is better approach.
Life without worry
Simple living teaches you how to live within your means, which allows us to be contented with what we have and not want more than what we need which creates scarcity.
Lower stress level
Simplicity reduces stress levels by having a clear mindset, thereby making us feel more relaxed and less stressed. It allows for the development of creativity because of the lack of distractions caused by a simple life, leading to new ideas and inventions.
Easier choices
You spend less time deliberating and thinking, making choices more direct and efficient.
Maximum vitality
Life becomes more beautiful; simplicity comes with organization, efficiency, effectiveness, and adequacy, all major contributors to a person’s overall success.
Breeds confidence
Simplicity gives you a sense of control, and so it brings about the development of self-confidence, which in turn builds character.
Having fewer distractions brought about by simplicity makes for easier choices, and so it brings about decisiveness which breeds courage, thereby making you more capable of handling difficult situations in life and not running away from them.
Simple things are easier
Makes life easier and more efficient, making you feel like you are in full control of things rather than not having any idea what to do. Simple living leads to peace because it leads to simplicity; this causes less worry.
Less time required means more time for yourself
When you spend less time on simple tasks, you get more time to do the things that make life worth living.
Balancing all aspects of Life
Life allows for a better focus and appreciation of Life. Personal relationships are more fulfilling, and we tend to be more productive at work because we know how to prioritize our tasks which makes everything easier to manage.
Pointless distractions
Simple living is all about getting rid of things that are non-essential and habits that you have been doing for so long but do not necessarily contribute to bettering your Life. Once you determine what is important, everything is easier because there is no more running around trying to look for something that will improve your life.
Simple is powerful
A simple approach is very powerful. It is clear-cut and focuses strictly on the main priority, which makes things very easy to understand. It allows you to make better decisions than complicated approaches, which tend to be filled with distractions and unnecessary information.
Final Thoughts of Simple is better than complexity
Simple is better than complexity in many ways and for many reasons. The best thing about being simple is that it always universally applies to anyone or anything.
There’s no denying the power of simplicity, making it an easy choice when you want something done right. Simplicity saves time, and simplifying tasks allows us more energy. Even if we don’t understand how things work, they will still be easier to figure out because all the complex pieces have been broken down into smaller segments and arranged in a way that we can understand.
It allows for better focus and appreciation of Life. Allowing yourself to be free from distractions allows you to enjoy the little things along the way, making you feel like your priorities are straight, and nothing is more important than what it should be.
