Insight: Within an organisation it can be more effective to simplify processes rather than training for complexity.
Insight: Simplicity needs a reference point. Simple with reference to what?
Insight: Simplicity can help enforce habits. Spending effort to simplify a task or routine can remove efforts to make those actions automatic.
Insight: Simple systems are usually: easier to set up, monitor, repair, disassemble.
Insight: The purpose of communication is simplicity and clarity. Complexity can lead to confusion. Simplicity without clarity might lead to misinterpretation and ambiguity.
Reference: Oscar Wilde said that "simple pleasures are the last refuge of the complex".
Reference: "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Leonardo da Vinci.
Insight: Kanso is the Japanese virtue of achieving optimal results with as little as possible.
Insight: Wabi Sabi is simplicity and minimalism.
Principle: Remove all that is unimportant, and leave space for what is essential.
Reference: David Thoreau: "simplify the problem of life, distinguish the necessary and the real"
Reference: Dalai Lama: "If one's life is simple, contentment has to come. Simplicity is extremely important for happiness."
Reference: Ela Bhatt: "Out of all virtues simplicity is my most favourite virtue. So much so that I tend to believe that simplicity can solve most of the problems, personal as well as the world problems."
Insight: In a company of one, simplicity has to be a mandate.
Insight: In a company of one simplicity is key for long term resilience and profitability.
Insight: Simplicity can provide a more meaningful life.
Insight: Reducing the importance we place on "stuff" is a step toward simplicity.
Insight: Truth is always simple.
Insight: People may discredit simple solutions because of their simplicity.
Insight: The best plans start simple. A business plan should never take more than a few hours.
Insight: It is more difficult to simplify something complex, than to continue making things more complex.
Insight: Simple ideas often are easy targets for cynics and sophisticates, and that can be their weakness.
Key Insights & Principles
Communication
No matter the intention, communication is always understood through the context and experience of the receiver.
The purpose of communication is simplicity and clarity.
Complexity in communication can lead to confusion.
If communication is too simple, it may not be clear. It can be open for misinterpretation or ambiguity.
Use plain language.
Do not oversimplify by leaving out key pieces of information.
Business
For small businesses simplicity may be essential for survival.
Simplifying processes can reduce costs of training for and dealing with complexity.
