Keep It Simple

One of my favourite quotes is by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and it goes like this “perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

Simplicity and I, have a complex relationship. I love the concept but often struggle to live by it. 

I write 10 words, when four will do, I struggle to record WhatsApp voice notes, shorter than two minutes, and as my business grows and we continue our nomadic lifestyle, my diary is increasingly filled with calls, admin tasks, social get-togethers and exploration. I love to think I live a simple life, but the truth is, I really don’t.

Last week I had a chat with someone who really does live a simple life and I came away feeling like the most highly strung, stress-head out there.

So this Untamed Update is designed to serve two purposes. It will hopefully help those of you who’s life is filled with too much complexity AND, it will help remind me, the value of subtracting, rather than adding.

Why Simplicity?

Simple. Simplicity allows us to focus on fewer, more valuable things. It frees up mental and physical space, allowing lessons to be absorbed, the body time to recover and our minds, time to chill the f**k out. 

The more research I do on this topic, the more I realise that the opposite of simplicity is distraction. Too many of us, myself included, create a busy life in order to distract us from the stuff we fear, we may need addressing. 

Some people work excessively because their work meets their needs, to a greater extent than their home life. 

Some people never stop, slow down and self-reflect because they fear what they will find.

Some people drink every night because the alternative reality created by being shit-faced, is more fun than their actual reality.

For me, adding complexity to my life has been an attempt to feel busy. When I feel busy, I feel like I am getting more done, acting like a proper entrepreneur, and therefore, more worthy of whatever success comes my way.

This is down entirely to my identity (see the powerful role your identity plays in your life, in read this Ramble) and doesn’t necessarily serve me. As a result I shall continue to slow down and say no to more things than I say yes to.

Parkinson’s law states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion". This is completely applicable in my case and, whilst working 50+ hours a week has helped me get to where I am, it won’t always serve me, and it is certainly not the lifestyle I want for the rest of my life.

By leaning into simplicity, we will reduce the ‘time available’, and, in doing so, afford ourselves more opportunity to purposeful about what we fill that time with.

Another Way

Could your life be simplified? If so, why is it currently too complex? 

Are you distracting yourself from something? Living up a narrative that may not actually be yours?

What would a simpler life look, and feel like? What time do you allocate for certain elements of your life and could you do this more purposefully?

By focusing on what we can take away, rather than what we can add, into our lives, I believe we will all be a lot happier, more intentional, healthier and more self-aware.