Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication
“The rich use their brainpower in addition to the brainpower of others to hone in on ultra specific solutions their competitors have given up on. While the middle class makes simple problems seem complex, the world class makes complex problems seem simple. Their ability to reduce any problem to an elementary level allows them to see solutions most academics wouldn’t even consider. The wealthy aren’t interested in the means, only the end. Solve the problem, get compensated, and repeat the process until you’re rich. End of story. This single-minded focus always pays off sooner or later, at which time the masses will call it luck.”
Steve Siebold, How Rich People Think
Do you wish you could be more like that person you know who consistently makes the right decision?
Do you follow influencers on social media who accomplish amazing things and wonder to yourself: ‘How come I can’t do that?’
Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could simplify your life, while getting better and better results?
Isn’t it amazing how some people achieve outlier success? For example, you may have heard of Phil Jackson, the man who is widely regarded as the best coach in the history of the National Basketball Association (“NBA”).
Jackson coached the Chicago Bulls to 6 NBA championships and the Los Angeles Lakers to 5 NBA championships during his illustrious career. Three of the players he coached (Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal) are probably three of the best ten players in NBA history.
However, how many championships did these players win before Phil Jackson became their coach? None.
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of current and former NBA coaches who have never won a NBA championship. So how did Jackson accomplish such a feat?
It quite possibly was the Triangle Offense, Jackson’s (and assistant coach Tex Winter’s) offensive framework. This offense was very effective at putting players in great positions for them to score the basketball.
Jordan and Bryant were phenomenal individual players, but playing within a framework took their success to all new heights.
The Triangle offense reminds me of what author James Clear recently said: “The ultimate form of preparation is not planning for a specific scenario, but a mindset that can handle uncertainty.”
Strategy 1: Steal (or Develop) a Framework
“The Four Laws of Behavior Change are a simple set of rules we can use to build better habits. They are (1) make it obvious, (2) make it attractive, (3) make it easy, and (4) make it satisfying.”
James Clear, Atomic Habits
Merriam-Webster defines ‘framework‘ as a “frame of reference,” or “a set of ideas, conditions, or assumptions that determine how something will be approached, perceived, or understood.”
Steal a Framework – Honestly
Just as the Bulls and the Lakers successfully used a framework to achieve abnormal success, you can do the same. And it probably requires less work than you might think.
For example, books are a powerful way to access new frameworks. The author has spent years, perhaps even decades, developing ideas that she shares in a succinct fashion, and which you can access on the device of your choice.
In the information age, you don’t need to overcome life’s challenges on your own. With nearly 8 billion people on this planet, there is someone out there who has developed a framework that will change your life; and they’re offering this life-changing advice at a significant discount – perhaps even for free at your local library.
Develop a Framework and Change Lives
But if you are someone who is looking to make a huge impact in the world, why not create your own framework? You have overcome challenges in your life, and you now know how to help others overcome those same challenges.
Why not write a book, publish an article, or film a video or podcast? You have what the world needs, and the world is willing to compensate you for it.
To get your creative juices flowing, here are just a few of the frameworks that I have learned about that have transformed my life:
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
- The Four Laws of Behavior Change
Maybe your framework will be featured in one of my future articles.
Strategy 2: Set a Goal, and then Determine the Most Basic Action Required to Achieve It
“What’s the ONE Thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
Gary Keller, The One Thing
Merriam-Webster defines ‘goal‘ as “the end toward which effort is directed.”
Implementation Intentions
The British rowing team hadn’t won a gold medal since 1912. However, in preparation for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, the team implemented what psychologists call an “implementation intention.”
Author Benjamin Hardy shares that the team asked themselves a single question before every decision:
“Will it make the boat go faster?”
Should I eat this donut? Well, will it make the boat go faster?
Should I stay up late the night before a competition or practice? Will it make the boat go faster?
The British rowing team had the goal of winning gold in the 2000 Olympics, and a clear implementation intention helped them achieve something that had eluded them for nearly a century.
Two-Minute Rule
In his incredibly effective course ‘30 Days to Better Habits,’ author James Clear shares what he calls the Two-Minute Rule. In lesson 2 of his course, Clear states:
- “A habit must be established before it can be improved. You need to master the art of showing up.”
- “By the end of this lesson, you should have a two-minute version of the habit you want to build and begin to master the art of showing up. That two-minute habit should be the smallest version of your habit that reinforces your desired identity.”
Clear expands on the Two-Minute Rule in Atomic Habits, but here’s a simple example. If your goal is to run a marathon, then start by tying your shoes and walking out the front door every day for a week. No more than that. Once you’ve mastered the Two-Minute Rule for a week, then scale up. Perhaps the next week is tie your shoes, walk out the front door, and do one walking lap around the block.
You know what your goal is; the one that you have been putting off for months, maybe even years at this point. What is something you can do in the next two minutes to begin achieving it?
Strategy 3: Perfect a Process
“If a task is perceived to be unimportant, it will take enormous amounts of time to complete. Conversely, if a task is perceived to be important, it will get done soon—sometimes immediately, depending on how important and urgent. Additionally, if a task is perceived to be complex, it will take longer to complete. Thus, by pursuing things we believe to be important and breaking them down into their smallest parts, time slows and more is accomplished. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. By slowing time, we can live exponentially more life than those around us.”
Benjamin Hardy, Slipstream Time Hacking
Merriam-Webster defines ‘process‘ as “a series of actions or operations conducing to an end.”
Define a Process
If you asked a young child to draw a detailed picture of Sonic the Hedgehog, do you think they could do it? Even if they were able to look at another picture to try and copy it, how successful would they be?
I guess that depends on the child, their innate artistic talent, and their familiarity with drawing.
However, what if instead you provided to the child an in-depth, step-by-step process for drawing Sonic the Hedgehog? Wouldn’t the likelihood of their success increase?
This is what Art for Kids Hub and others do on YouTube and on other platforms. Is it any wonder Art for Kids Hub has 6.4M subscribers? These videos offer children (and their parents) a step-by-step process to create a fun piece of art.
And by demonstrating, in detail, each step of the process, the end result is greatly improved.
Simplify a Process
In his book Effortless, author Greg McKeown shares the story of the Boeing Model 299. First completed in 1935, this airplane (nicknamed the “Flying Fortress“) was destined to become the U.S. Army’s replacement to the Martin B-10. However, in its first test flight, accomplished pilots Leslie Tower and Major Ployer Peter Hill crashed the plane and died.
Why? It was later determined that the control lock had been left in place.
The Boeing Model 299 was a fantastic machine, but it was also complex to operate. It was in the aftermath of the test flight crash that pilots developed a “checklist” – a step-by-step process for successfully operating the aircraft.
You can do the same thing in your life. For those tasks that recur weekly, monthly, or annually at work or at home, have you created a checklist?
If not, try it. If you have, share it with a co-worker or family member. You’ll be amazed by the insights this outside observer will provide. Be prepared to have superfluous steps in your checklist eliminated – these outside observers won’t be as emotionally invested in each precious step on your list.
Conclusion
“When a strategy is so complex that each step feels akin to pushing a boulder up a hill, you should pause. Invert the problem. Ask, ‘What’s the simplest way to achieve this result?’”
Greg McKeown, Effortless
Life is as complex as you make it.
You know that person you know who consistently makes the right decision? They have developed a framework for life that has obviously caught your attention. You could utilize this framework for yourself, and even make it better if it doesn’t fully meet your standards. Be humble – you don’t have all the answers.
You know those influencers on social media who are accomplishing amazing things? You now have simple tools to replicate (or surpass) their success. Hint: create a goal, and then determine the most basic action to get started on completing it.
If I stopped you on the street today and asked you: ‘What do you want?’, how would you respond? Do you know what you want? Can you get clear on what it is you’re trying to accomplish? There is no reason to flounder in mediocrity. In this modern world, you can (and will) accomplish amazing things.
Which of these simple strategies will you implement to solve those major problems in your life?
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