We've recently revamped our values at work, and there's one in particular that has taken over my mind: "Earn Simplicity".
Starting with the second word, simplicity is a no-brainer. The simpler things are in life, the less stress you'll need to deal with, which is almost always good.
But the first word, "earn", makes this special. It communicates that simplicity isn't given for free. You can only achieve it through time, effort, and/or money.
Simple is commonly mistaken for easy. Easy is what is there. It's what is familiar. It doesn't mean simple. Simple makes life better, easy can make life worse. But to achieve simplicity, it often requires going down the hard path. That's why you have to earn it.
I can quickly think of two examples.
First, with code. Bolting on a new feature is typically easy. Don't think too much about what's underneath; write a new feature on top in whatever way possible. Quick and dirty. But down the road, if you encounter a bug or need to modify the system, it's so much harder to navigate.
But if you take the time to understand the system and integrate the feature properly, you can keep the system simple. This will pay dividends down the road.
Second, think about keeping your home clean and organized. It takes effort to do this. The easy thing to do is to neglect it day to day. But when it's time to clean, it's much harder to get it into an acceptable state. That's not simple. Simple is being able to welcome a surprise guest at any time. Simple is being able to operate in your home without tripping over things. Simple is knowing where things are because they are exactly where they are supposed to be. But again, this takes a lot of work.
But even with more work, the great thing about “earn simplicity” as a value is that it makes the hard path feel easier. The more you think and practice it, the more natural it becomes. And when earning simplicity becomes your default, life quickly starts to improve in all sorts of ways.
Thanks for reading! If you have any thoughts, please email me at [email protected]. I also have a newsletter that will email whenever I have a new post. Please sign up below if you are interested.