When Things Get Overly Complex

Ever worked on a problem that seemed way too complex with far too many moving parts and just as many opinions all pointing in different directions? There’s a secret to winning in this situation. Want to know what it is?

Start somewhere.

That’s right. Just do something that make sense and get things moving in a positive direction.

Pick out a small piece of the problem you face and get everyone, including yourself focused on that one item. Then go to work. Be warned, people will stray, but just pull them back in and get them focused on that one initiative. As everyone starts moving along, you can start identifying the next small piece.

Complexity is a Diversion

Ever visited the grocery store, found yourself standing in front of a section of canned vegetables, and not knowing which can of beans you should buy? It doesn’t help that there are far too many choices. Bean are beans, but the manufacturers that can the beans don’t want you to think that. In the process of trying to get you to buy their beans, they create complexity.

The thing you must understand is that complexity is a diversion. If you want to get things done, you have to look beyond the complexity and do something that moves you in a positive direction. Make a choice and go.

Lesson 1: Don’t Get Stuck

It is easy to see a complex problem and want to over think it. You must resist this and the only way to do this is to do something.

Lesson 2: Make Things Easy

If you are running a business or have opportunities to work with customers, you must keep this complexity issue in the forefront of your mind. Don’t make things too complicated. Don’t give your customers too many options. They might suggest that they want more choices, but resist. If you are building a website, keep you navigation and pages to a minimum. Maybe you are setting goals. If so, tackle them one at a time and don’t move onto a new one until you have reached the first one.

Simplify Where You Can

I recently started getting rid of extra stuff (whomever lands at that garage sales will be awfully happy). I cleaned out my closet, got rid of a few unused electronics, donated stuff that I had not used in a long while, etc. I don’t miss any of it. More importantly, getting rid of all this stuff has made life much less complicated and I can now focus better than ever.

I did the same thing with my fitness program. I adopted Jim Wendler’s approach to fitness (for the most part). Jim’s got a pretty simple take on this stuff:

• Lift heavy weights (time tested, compound lifts for the most part)
• Walk everyday
• Sprint 1-2 times a week