Safeguards To Staying Simple

It was no where near simple.  Some of my volunteers were spending hours trying to put together the “BEST GAME EVER”.  

In the end it was the most detailed and complex one I had ever experienced.  I’m not sure how it was supposed to go, but it involved plastic swords, balloons hanging from the ceiling and dozens of middle school students.  Let’s just say it was a valuable learning experience. It’s easy to over think an idea.  You come up with something great and then next thing you know it’s out of control.  Maybe it’s an activity that’s turned into the Olympics.  Maybe it’s an email that’s developed into an epic novel.  It could even be a meeting that’s become the world’s longest pow wow.  If you do not keep certain things simple, it can:

Come Off Disorganized and Distract From What’s Important

To keep it simple you need to make sure you have safeguards like:

• A Clear Plan: If you just try to wing it then chances are things will get complicated quickly.  Create a plan or an agenda and make sure it’s clear.  Share it with others and make sure you know what it’s meant to accomplish before you put it out there.

• An Accountability Group: Make sure you have people you can trust to give you feedback.  Ask them to bring you back in when an idea or project gets out of control.  These are people you might become frustrated with; however, you know they are there to protect you.

• A Review System: In order to keep simple a habit you need a system that allows you to analyze and evaluate.  That means having the right people at the table and asking great questions.  Look at where you were staying on mission and why you might have gotten off course. Develop a system and tweak it as you move forward.

Keep it simple and you’ll find yourself less frustrated.  Granted complex can look beautiful, but it also takes time and energy.  If you aren’t careful, complex can consume your entire life.  To be efficient and moving forward you need to embrace simple. 

What safeguards do you put in place to stay simple?