“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” - Steve Jobs
Intentions
I think in today's day and age, simplicity and minimalism are taking to light and rightfully so. Society places too much value on complex things when in reality, we all desire simplicity for the majority of things.
In this post I want to show my appreciation for simplicity and show how it is almost universal amongst all things. That being said, I appreciate that the world, the human body, technology and many other things are complex in nature. We can't avoid complexity there because simplifying those things would result in losing something of vital importance. When we speak, write and teach however, simplicity should be leading the way.
I hope this post can give you a deeper appreciation of The Art of Simplicity.
Society
I had an interview for medicine earlier this year. When I was preparing for the interview, I was told to use buzzwords instead of their simpler counterparts to better my chances of gaining a place. I guess (according to society) it makes you sound more intelligent? This got me thinking, why do we (or society) place so much value on a couple of extra letters? Why do we give extra brownie points for using bigger words when in doing so, you're just reducing the amount of people who will actually understand what you're saying?
In my experience, the smartest people I know don't need to use fancy words to display their intelligence. It doesn't make sense, who decided that you need to speak a certain way to be deemed competent?
Don't get me wrong, I understand the need for formalities in the work place, but that doesn't mean you need to completely change up the words you use. I think if we could look past this, it would make judgements at interviews far more accurate. At the moment, I don't think many people are really being themselves when they are in an interview and that doesn't seem right to me. Simplicity is the solution here.
I used to think using big words made me sound smart.
I used to think that using complex language would make me sound more sophisticated.
Do you see how both of those sentences deliver the exact same message? The only difference is, the simpler of the two will be understood by more people. In my opinion, if you're going to choose one of the two, go for the simpler one.
It pains me to say that I am guilty of trying to use words of which I do not understand the full meaning, just to look a like I know stuff (I'm sure we've all done this at some point). That's something I'd like to change about myself and I think we should all advocate for simplicity where possible.
Have you ever gone into a job interview and put on your phone voice and started using words you don't normally use? It makes sense if you want the job and you do this because, 'you gotta do what you gotta do', but I think society is (and should be) heading in a different direction.
People are starting to realise that speaking a certain way doesn't automatically make you better than someone else. I think we should try to move towards simplicity.
The more I thought about this, the more I realised that the ultimate form of communication is indeed, simplicity. Simplicity allows you to get your point across fast and with little difficulty.
If you're communicating effectively, it will feel like you are over-communicating.
Is complex language ever useful?
Simplicity is predominantly superior to complexity.
Although I slate complex language in most cases where it is just pointless, it does have uses. I find that when I'm describing my feelings, or telling a story, the wider my vocabulary, the better I can tell the story. I'll show you an example of what I mean.
Here are 5 events of my life in which I felt happy, but the word 'happy' alone wouldn't be sufficient in describing my feelings because each event was a different type of happiness. I've written the word (or words) that best described my feelings alongside each event. Also, they're not exactly complex words but you get what I'm trying to say.
I completed my to do list - content.
I received my medicine acceptance email - over the moon.
I got my degree results and got the grades I wanted - relieved.
I scored a hat trick for my football team - ecstatic.
If I were to describe my feelings during these events, then using simple words like 'happy' wouldn't do them justice. I think this along with descriptive writing are two places where using complex language is advantageous.
I struggled to think of anywhere else where complex language is actually useful. As in, better than using simple language.
If you happen to know of another instance where complex language is of use, do let me know by commenting or messaging me. I really struggled to find another place of significant use.
Simplicity in everything
Everything should be made as simple as possible but not simpler - Albert Einstein
This quote confused me at first but now it makes sense. Everything should be made as simple as possible, but once you have reached 'as simple as possible', you shouldn't try to make that even simpler because in doing so, you would have to remove something of vital importance.
As I'm writing this post and exploring simplicity in life, I'm beginning to realise how wide spread this actually is. In pretty much everything we do, having simplicity is a benefit.
Simplicity In medicine
As a huge advocate of simplicity, one of the reasons I chose to do medicine is because of the importance of simplicity in being a doctor.
Wait did he just link medicine to simplicity?
Yes, one of the qualities of a good physician is being able to communicate a complex diagnosis to a patient with their full understanding using plain, simple, English. That in itself is a fantastic example of simplicity and how valuable it is.
Simplicity in teaching and learning
The best teachers are those who can simplify the teaching. The ones who make everything seem easy.
Remember when you were learning something new in school, teachers would often ask you to 'Explain it like you're talking to an alien' or 'Explain it to a 5 year old.'
They don't mean that quite literally but, if you can explain a concept to a 5 year old then it can be said that you have a pretty good understanding of that topic.
This is the art of simplicity in action.
Simplicity in sports
What successful sporting systems have in common is that they appear to do the basics well.
The best athletes master the basics and the simple aspects of their sports. Think of it like building a skyscraper. The stronger your foundations, the more stable your building will be.
Athletes describe their outrageous qualities as simple and effortless. Top players might be doing things 100mph to the viewer, but in their eyes, the game is slowed down and it really is simple to them.
Simplicity is everywhere
I could sit here and list a thousand areas where simplicity is key, but to save you and me time I'll just bullet point a few more areas to make the point clearer.
Dieting - When you look for a diet plan to follow, you look for simplicity, something easy.
Smart phones - Take a look at smart phones, the notorious iPhone remains as popular as it is today because of it's simplicity and ease of use.
Cooking - Unless you're a prolific chef, when you look for a recipe you ideally want something simple, easy and of course, delicious.
Workout plans - The most popular fitness plans are the ones that are simple but effective.
Relationships - When you meet your significant other, doesn't it make life easier when your long term goals and desires are simple? No one wants something complicated.
I think I've made it clear that simplicity is good in so many ways and it is evident across many areas of life.
This Newsletter
You grab the concept of what it is and find a way to explain it simply and eloquently so the average reader should understand it.
This is a nice piece of feedback I received last week. When I started writing this newsletter, my main goal was to make it simple, easy to read and easy to understand. I hope I've achieved that.
When I do my final edit for each post, I aim to cut out as many unnecessary words as possible. Part of the reason if for the reader's benefit - who wants so sit and read a boring long essay? Another reason is I use the newsletter as my own note taking system. Each week I curate a new idea or insight in my own words, using simple language. It really helps me gain a better understanding of what it is I'm writing about, which I hope is understood by you too.
Analogies
I'm a huge fan of analogies. Remember the skyscraper analogy you just read about?
Whenever someone is struggling to grasp my point in a discussion, I turn to analogies because they help to paint a picture of the point. Throughout my newsletters I have used analogies to illustrate my point on several occasions - here's a page full of my favourite analogies so far.
Story Time
I think this is a nice personal story which is a nice point to finish on. It is also where the idea to write about this started.
I have a younger sister. When she was 5 years old, one day she came into my room and tried to sneak up on me to scare me (classic childhood behaviour). To her surprise, when she grabbed me, I didn't get scared. (forgive me for not playing along, I could sense she was there).
Her:How did you know I was there? I didn't make a noise.
Me:I could feel your presence when you came into the room.
Her:What's presence?
Think for a moment how you would answer that question to a 5 year old? Many of us resort to the old age phrase 'never mind, you're too young to understand'.
I think that's nonsense.
You're never too young to learn and curiosities should be encouraged from a young age.
I took the opportunity to exercise my explanatory skills and gave it a shot. It's not the easiest thing to explain to a 5 year old, but with the use of simplicity, I tried to explain the word to her.
I told her to close her eyes and stand still as I left the room. I came back, tip-toeing quietly and slowly, until I was right next to her. Before I said anything, she was smiling and opened her eyes before I got too close.
Me: Could you feel I was there when you had your eyes closed?
Her: Yes!
Me: That feeling you had? That is presence.
She's 7 years old now and the word presence is a part of her vocabulary, all because of that decision to explain its meaning to her. Now whenever she asks me a question, regardless of how complex it may seem, I try to answer in a simplified manner that she can understand.
The latest word I have taught her is 'contrast'.
I might have side tracked a little with this story but there are two main take away points from this story.
Simplicity is the best way to learn and to explain something.
Don't limit a child's potential by not answering their questions, you'd be surprised how understanding kids can be. Answer their questions and you'll find out.
Insights of the week:
This week’s insight is a podcast I've been listening to lately.🎙️
People Who Read People: Understanding Human Behaviour (Zachary Elwood)
Interviews with people from different professions about how understanding human psychology and behaviour plays a role in their work. Hosted by Zachary Elwood, a former professional poker player and author of some popular books on poker tells/behaviour.
I love learning about psychology, so this was right up my street. Zachary has interviewed people from all sorts of backgrounds and talks about the importance of psychology in their work. Below is a list of some of the people he has interviewed. This podcast really shows how important psychology is in any profession.
Rock, Paper, Scissors champion
A prisoner who had a 15 year sentence in maximum security
A restaurant and service industry expert
An MMA and Jiu-jitsu expert and world champion
A lawyer
An interrogation expert
There are more interesting professions he has interviewed. I highly recommend if you like psychology.
About the Author:
Daanish is a Biomedical Science graduate and a (soon to be) Medical Student.
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