The lives we live today are filled with hundreds of things that need to be done. Whether you are at work, a PTA meeting or just driving to the grocery store, chances are you are thinking about at least five other things that you need to do. This is excluding your phone and laptop which is probably distracting you with notifications, messages and social media.
Sounds exhausting, doesn’t it? Yet we still put ourselves through it day after day. Why though? Why are we so focussed on complexity and not on simplicity? Is it because we enjoy the busyness or because we just don’t know how to do it any differently? Well, there is a way to simplify your life and be productive.
In this book summary readers will discover:
- Simplicity is possible if we just remember to think like bees
- Clarity
- Individuality
- Reset
- Knowledge
- Networks
- Time
Key lesson one: Simplicity is possible if we just remember to think like bees
Whether we realize it or not, we tend to overcomplicate things every day. Just sending an email can take longer than expected by the time we scan our inbox and get distracted by incoming requests. Our lives are filled with similar distractions and over time we tend to get tired of them, seeking simplicity but not knowing how to achieve it.
Most successful companies strive for simplicity. Just consider Apple, Amazon and Johnson&Johnson to name a few. They aim to keep things simple and easy for their customers. Even though Apple uses complex technology, customers are drawn by its functionality. We can learn a thing or two from these companies when it comes to sticking to simplicity.
An even better example that we can draw inspiration from exists in nature. Bees are hardworking and live in complex beehives but on closer inspection, a simple shape ties all of their hard work together. Each cell of a beehive is a hexagon and it is filled with honey, pollen and bee-larvae. The hexagon is used as it is strong and can interlock with a neighbouring cell. Interestingly enough, just like a hexagon has six sides, humans can hold six things in their working memory. This is why Julia Hobsbawm named her system Hexagon Action. She believes that like a hexagon if we focus on just six factors we can simplify our lives. These six factors are Clarity, Individuality, Rest, Knowledge, Networks and Time.
Key lesson two: Clarity
Did you know that most smartphone users get distracted every 12 minutes? Now imagine if someone had to pop their head in your office every 12 minutes to ask you a question. It would be frustrating right? Your concentration would be shattered numerous times and it is often hard to get back in the zone and remember what you were doing. Therefore, you need to set clear limits to avoid being distracted.
Social media has changed our lives forever but it is also designed to keep us logged on, yearning for more. If you need to get work done, just take away the distraction. You need to designate your time to work. Thus, it is recommended you take a break from the internet every day. Hobsbawm takes it one step further – she switches her internet off every Friday and puts it back on a Monday morning. Even Warren Buffet does not have a smartphone nor a computer on his desk. You don’t have to take it to this extreme but the main point here is that you should set clear limits for yourself. Every time you get distracted by your phone it takes almost half an hour to regain focus. Just imagine how much more productive you could be if you eliminate all this wasted time.
The way you limit your distraction is not the only thing that needs clarity. You must also have clear personal boundaries and clear goals. The former predominantly deals with the fact that it is okay to say no to people if you are busy working. Defining clear goals, however, is a matter of asking yourself what matters most to you. Once you have an answer, you work towards that goal and leave the distractions behind. Clarity is your first step to simplicity.
Key lesson three: Individuality
Our individuality is what makes us unique. No two people are the same and we should embrace this more. Our inner selves are always telling us something and the simple truth is if we listened to it more often, chances are we would be much happier. This is because it speaks the truth and if we are more open to admitting it out loud, we coil deal with it directly and move on. The longer we keep those thoughts to ourselves, the more we tend to build on them thus further complicating them.
Also, the more you embrace your individuality, the more you tend to stand up for your values. Just think about how you feel when you do something that goes against your values at work. Doesn’t it make you feel bad and complicates everything else that follows? You might fall into a loop of doing things you don’t agree with just because you said yes the first time. All it will lead to is a lot of unhappiness and can affect your performance at work overall. Now imagine if you had said no from the very start. You would be setting a clear boundary and staying true to yourself.
The last thing you need to remember is that everyone has a place that they feel most comfortable. This is about knowing where you can go when you need to recharge when the world gets too much. This is a place where your individuality can be free and remind you of who you really are and what you really want.
Key lesson four: Reset
Burnout has become a common occurrence in our culture. We push ourselves beyond our limits daily and eventual burnout is the end result. The worse part is, we begin to normalize it because almost everyone experiences it at some point. This is not healthy. We can only do so much and that is okay – it does make us failures.
You have to be able to stop before you reach the point of complete burnout. What you do to avoid it is up to you. It could be taking some time off to go on vacation or simply taking some time every day to meditate or go to the gym. Everyone has a different way to unwind and detach themselves from work. Whatever it is you need to do though, ensure that it succeeds in emptying your mind so that it can recharge and restore itself.
A lot of people choose to take a break and travel. It is not surprising as exploring a new place filled with new experiences and stimuli is known to promote brain growth and benefit our mental health. This is how they are able to reset and rejuvenate, returning to work happier and more effective.
Key lesson five: Knowledge
The next step in gaining simplicity in our lives is being selective about the knowledge we consume. We are often guilty of collecting useless information. Actually, this happens so often social scientists have even named it infobesity. The news we see online is the biggest contributor to this. The one thing that needs to be done to rectify this is to eliminate any sources of fake or exaggerated news from your intake. These websites are generally just a waste of time and trimming them from your knowledge dashboard is good practice. Factual news normally does not have and frills involved and therefore will not allow you to get sucked into a black hole of endless stories. If you stick to reliable sites, you will be using your time wisely and further eliminate unnecessary distractions.
Further to this, we must not only consider the knowledge we consume online. You must also be aware of other skills that need to be developed. Often, people lack crucial social skills because they spend more time with technology and work than with actual people. This knowledge is overlooked these days but its importance should not be underestimated.
Key lesson six: Networks
Another factor associated with social skills is the way we build our networks. With the ability to communicate remotely, long gone are the days of meeting people in person. The sad thing is, this includes our friends and families. Most people today text their family more than they speak to them in real life.
Human beings are social creatures by nature. It is how we evolved and developed ways to communicate in the first place and shying away from real, physical connection means that we are slowly losing the ability to talk to one another face to face. This doesn’t mean that we are on our way to being primates again but rather that we are losing the experiences that come with talking to someone. We truly connect and bond with people when we can see their facial expressions and reactions to us.
But it’s not just for our personal benefit. Research has shown that you are 34 times more likely to get what you ask for if you do it in person. So, now you know how to best ask your boss for that time off. Building networks professionally does not have to be awkward. Find people you relate to, let friendships happen organically. These create bonds much stronger than you realize.
Key lesson seven: Time
The last step you should consider when it comes to living a simple life is one that we seem to never have enough of – time. Everyone experiences time differently depending on the circumstances. However, for anyone to maximize time, they have to realize how they use it in the first place.
Deadlines, for example, are useful tools to keep us on track to finish our work. Although, how those deadlines are set are important. Deadlines should be personal as everyone works differently but most workplaces don’t take this into consideration. They just look at when they need the work, not how long it would take to complete. This needs to be rectified. You will know if a deadline is unrealistic. If your company values quality, they will value your opinion about this. No one knows better about how you work than you do. So if you feel that the deadline requested will result in subpar work, don’t be afraid to say so.
Everyone works differently and everyone’s hours of productivity is also different. If we begin to pay attention to our personal clocks, we can figure out how our time can be best used.
The key takeaway from The Simplicity Principle is:
In a complicated world, we crave simplicity. In order to achieve this, we must take steps to simplify our lives. This entails clarity, individuality, reset, knowledge, networks and time. If we are able to follow the steps to eliminate complexity, we will find ourselves not only living simpler lives but doing so healthier and happier.
How can I implement the lessons learned in The Simplicity Principle:
Most of our goals can be achieved if we start by eliminating the distractions we currently have. Take the time to define what is most important to you. This will clearly identify the areas you need to simplify and what you need to eliminate to achieve your goals. Success is not as hard as it seems.
