When everything seems complicated, which is probably most of the time, consider the problem-solving principle called Occam’s Razor. It can be distilled, roughly, to mean that when all things are equal, the simplest solution is usually the best one.

Here’s what the existence of Occam’s Razor – and my experience with dozens of incredibly capable leaders – leads me to believe: we have a tendency to complicate things unnecessarily. 

If we gravitated toward simplicity by default, we wouldn’t need a principle like Occam’s Razor to remind us of a better way to operate.

In a recent session with a small business owner, they were describing the myriad ways their life and work was challenging them and they weren’t sure how they were going to survive a trip to a conference that was literally hours away. 

My question to them was aimed at forcing them to simplify the equation in a radical way. “What would happen if you didn’t get on the plane?”

The point was not to convince them to abandon the trip, but to explore a simple solution to determine if it had merit.

I hope you will consider the possibility that there could be simpler solutions to the obstacles and opportunities in front of you.

Your life and work are challenging enough, don’t complicate them further by over-engineering a solution.PS: this is the last message in this series and I wanted to make sure to tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to read, reply, and apply. If you are a SMALL BUSINESS OWNER who wants to overcome overwhelm and ensure your business works for you, I’ve got something exciting brewing just for you…