K.I.S.S.

Remember this acronym? Keep It Simple Stupid! Well, in Dec 2007, the Harvard Business Review published an article about how this principle (they called it "Simplicity Minded Management") helped companies get better results. Complexity creeps into organisations in 4 principle ways: (1) Organisational structural changes over time (2) Product and Service Proliferation (3) Process approach (4) Managerial Habits. In order to remove complexity in an organisation, you need to have a strategy that covers all 4 of these items as attacking one at a time could actually increase complexity and cause other unintended consequences. If you are interested in reading more about the article, check it out online as well as the simple test the author of the article has devised to see if your company is overly complex.

Although the article did not provide facts and data (beyond one company's example), this approach makes sense to me, for organisations, for the most important social unit - the family and for indivuals! The more complex things are, the harder it is for us to focus on what is trully important and the more time we need to spend on non value activities for managing or surviving in that complexity. On top of that, life is constantly throwing obstacles and opportunities in our path. The lighter and therefore more nimble we are, the better we can adapt, overcome, adjust and take full advantage. So, here is how I see the HBR Simplicity model helping our families and ourselves!

Keeping It Superbly Simple...

Streamline the structure

1. Establish your and/or your family's values
2. Set clear goals.
3. Ensure there are clear roles for all
4. Have simplicity become part of your life philosophy

Reduce "Thing Proliferation"

1. Get rid of everything that is duplicate.
2. Get rid of things/clothes that you dont use , that dont work and/or dont like!
3. Get rid of stacks of papers, magazines, newspapers (File, Act, Redirect or Trash)
4. For everything new you buy or receive as a gift, throw something out.
5. Before you buy something new, ask yourself if this will contribute to your goals. Even better, wait a week and then ask yourself again how you think it will contribute to your goals.

Manage your key processes

1. Create your daily 10 list (list of things you want to do each day)
2. Make a list of all the things you do that are repetitive in some way. Identify those that add value to your life and those that are value neutral or take away value.
3. Outsource or find ways to simplify the things you HAVE to do but dont add value to your life.(ie. preparing your tax declaration, paying bills, filing important papers, chores)
4. Make it easier on yourself to do the things you enjoy, that do add value to your life (ie. how you prepare for a weekend away) by removing obstacles (I hate preparing for trips , even if I love doing the trips, so I made it easier on myself by having a packing list that I follow).
5. Stop doing those things that you dont have to do , dont like and that dont add value to your life! (watch out.. these are the hardest to identify as these may be habits, compromises and often look like things we HAVE to do. My personal example here is ironing... )

Make your habits work for you!

1. Look at how you communicate and interact in your relationships. How can you be more effective?
2. How can you reduce the info overload we are all exposed to? Email? Internet? TV? Telephone?
3. Include meditation and other relaxation techniques in your life (hopefully in your daily 10)
4. Get enough sleep!
5. Get rid of those destructive habits (ie. I used to play over and over again things in my head that did not go well and how I should have handled it.. instead of simply figuring out what I could learn from this and letting go).

How to get started...

Making things more simple is not always easy and it is certainly not easy to start . So, here are some tips to get started.

• Contrary to the HBR article, I dont think you need to work on all these approaches at once! Choose one that makes you feel energerised when you read it, and do something about it!
• Decide on the scale of effort that will make you energised. Sometimes starting small helps you get over the "Oh, where do I start?" obstacle . In other situations, deciding to tackle a big challenge in one go is more motivating.
• What works for one person to simplify their life does not work for others! I use a list to help me pack for trips, but using lists comes from a personality type preference I have... Others, with other personality type preferences would find making and using lists so abhorrent, so it would make their life more complicated. Know what works for you!

For me, this is a journey. I keep working at it (sometimes more, sometimes less) but I know I sure feel better with clear goals, clear priorities, less stuff & clutter & mess, and simpler ways of doing things and being.

How do you feel about this?