Why simple things are often the hardest—and most effective—thing to do

Productivity & Workflow

Humans love a good challenge. I believe that is built into us.

From the very beginning of creation, God tasked humans with subduing and filling the earth. Built into our psyche are the concepts of conquest, discovery, and overcoming adversity.

This is, I think, why people have a hard time seeing the results they want.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about losing weight, getting more business, being more productive, or anything else.

Often, the answers are a lot simpler than people want to admit.

We’re addicted to the struggle. But the reality is, the struggle doesn’t have to be.

Simple solutions are hard. Notice that simple and hard are not opposites. Simple and easy are opposite. Something can be very simple and yet hard to do.

I would argue this is true of most things.

Simple solutions are effective. Complexity is the enemy of clarity, and clarity is what humans respond to. It’s biological.

You know what I’m talking about—have you ever looked at something that “made your brain hurt”? Sure you have.

But when we are given the chance to clearly understand something, we respond. This is because we appreciate simplicity and clarity. It doesn’t hurt our brains. It doesn’t burn calories.

If you have a hard time making something work, why not consider how to simplify it?

Here’s an example. I love writing. Writing is easy. But a consistent writing habit is hard.

So, it’s now a scheduled part of my day. Every day. On any given day I am writing between 300-2,000 words. Sometimes many more.

With that kind of consistency, things happen. Blogs get written. Video scripts are done. Books are completed. I can be prolific.

It’s not sexy. It doesn’t involve AI, transcription, content writers, or executive assistants. It’s fingers to keyboard writing, for at least 30 minutes, every single day.

Simple. Hard. Effective.

Aug 19, 2022

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Hey, I'm Steve — a Christian, entrepreneur, thinker, and creator. Thanks for stopping by!

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