FYI logo

Keep It Simple, Stupid!

Finding the Path of Least Resistance

By Ginger GillenwaterPublished about a year ago 4 min read
Like

"Nothing ever goes right," I'd say to my mom. I couldn't see that she was making things harder than necessary. I was young and didn't know better, so I wasn't aware that things were malfunctioning because of how they were being handled. I'd observe problems with a simple solution being solved in more complicated ways, so that's how I thought life was.

It was as if every solution had to be born out of complexity. My brain believed that if I didn't work hard enough to solve something, I didn't try hard enough. Simple felt lazy to me and one of the last things I wanted to be was lazy.

Oh Energy, Sweet Energy

I unnecessarily took more of my energy than I needed to, but, again, it was how I was taught to solve problems. Who knows how much time I lost to this? Sometimes, I'd procrastinate because I dreaded having to produce the energy needed to work through an issue.

But surely the simple way that I might have caught a glimpse of was not the correct way, or was it?

Eventually, I started paying attention to the phrase "work smarter not harder." It's not a phrase that was said often in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. Instead, it was Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS), which I am not sure I fully grasped when I'd hear it.

For more than three decades I continued to do things and learn things the hard way.

But I was successful in so many areas!

Whether it was in academics, sports, or my professional life, I managed to score a lot of victories, but they didn't come easily.

Instead of coming up with a simple way to learn material for a quiz, I didn't feel like studying in a simple way. Perhaps this lent itself to the fact I know a lot of things, including useless facts, but time was not on my side during my school years. I was very busy and I needed to save as much time as I could, but there was a large part of me that thrived on being busy.

If I wasn't busy enough, I do something new. Again, I never learned the easy way, but I did it and felt accomplished.

Self-Employed Procrastinator

As a self-employed freelance writer and web designer for 20 years, I saw a lot of success. However, there was a lot of procrastination. Plus, my brain would take the most complicated route in my research rather than the path of least resistance.

I had fast turnaround times, but I could have turned around the work even faster and maybe spent more time with my family.

And then one day it just clicked.

The Enlightenment

I came to the realization that I learned the long way to solutions and project completion when my mom called me upset because her car was in a flood and she wasn't going to have a car.

My first instinct was to calm her down and I told her to call her mechanic friend so he can check it out to verify that it was totaled. I told her that cars aren't always done forever when they are flooded. She still resisted and I realized that she resisted because it was a simple first step.

No, things can't be that simple, can they?

I was trying to tell her to make no assumptions before getting some clarification.

So, she called the mechanic and, instead of asking him to come to check it, she told him it was totaled in a flood and that she'd sell it to him for $200. He came to her house and put it on the tow truck and told her he might be able to fix it, but she said it wasn't possible and would be fine with the $200.

A week later, he came to her work and asked her to come outside. She followed him and there was her car.

The kind mechanic fixed it, cleaned it, and gave her her keys back. He didn't even ask for the $200 back.

There have been other incidents where I've advised my mom to take the path of least resistance now that that's something I now practice daily.

What the Future Holds

After cancer ripped my freelancing business out from under me, I found a career at a wonderful company. It is very fast-paced and requires me to complete tasks quickly. It makes KISS live up to its acronym, but now has me constantly reminding my team to "work smarter, not harder." We thrive on fast solutions.

Because 40 hours of my week is spent finding the quickest ways to complete tasks and making decisions on strict timelines, I am saving time and energy that can be spent on those things that need a little more time and effort. Taking the path of least resistance also keeps me from procrastinating so much.

So yes, old things learned can be re-learned and also have a life-changing effect.

Humanity
Like

About the Creator

Ginger Gillenwater

Her head tilted as she absorbed the glorious sight of her name on the cover. "Well," Ginger said, "I think my name is too long. I need a pen name."

In the end, alphabet soup always wins.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.