Lifehack How "Simple" can give you multiple wins

From: Lifehack - Monday Apr 23, 2018 04:42 pm

Hi and hope you've had a great weekend! I just came back from a short weekend getaway, and it gave me a chance to refresh my mind a little. With the whirlwind of things happening, it seems like life just loves to be complicated.

This little trip helped me to remember that keeping things simple is a core philosophy we have at Lifehack. It's actually also a valuable skill, which our team continually hones over the continuous challenges we face.

Simple is hard. Being able to turn something complicated into simple takes a mix of different qualities. You need to know your intention, when and how to let go of things, while having the discipline to stay focused.

So why do we need simple? Well, it's because our resources are limited. If complexity means more, simple means less. We've got limited time, limited energy, limited money, and limited capacity. We've got to choose the right things to spend our time, energy, and money in. The less we need to spend to achieve them, the more things we can do!

The rewards from achieving "Simple" applies to a wide range of things. It can start from how we learn, all the way to how we plan and execute a project.

Let me share with you how we do it.

There's a framework we always use at Lifehack before embarking on any type of project (whether big or small). Doing it as a quick exercise helps us simplify things from the start.

In business jargon it's called the "MoSCoW Analysis". However, at Lifehack we like to call it the Superstructure Method (because it sounds cooler to us).

Anyways, this is how it works:

We start with establishing a clear intention. What's the objective? What are we trying to achieve?

Next we list out all the tasks or actions needed to achieve the objective.

From this list, we categorize them into one of three things:

Must haves --- Absolutely critical to achieve the objective. Without it, the project is meaningless.

Should haves -- Important but not critical. However, leaving it out may lessen the quality of the final result.

Good to haves -- Having it is nice, but not including it won't have any negative impact on our objective. The rest is simple. Must haves are always first and take top priority for resources and time. Like a superstructure, we start by first building a strong foundation.

Should haves are second priority - we build these up on top of our solid base, knowing that each piece makes the superstructure stronger. Because they're important, even if some tasks can't fit within our initial deadline we usually line them up in the next follow up project.

Good to haves are carefully considered only when the must-haves and should-haves are all fulfilled - and we have extra time and resources.

The Superstructure Method gives us amazing clarity and focus, helping make sure that the resources we invest are always being used best. It's so useful, we also apply it to how we conduct things like research, learning new skills, and even meetings.

You can probably apply it to your daily life too - why not try it on your next home decluttering, or your latest pet project?

If you want to read more about our Simplicity Philosophy, I talk about it more here:

Why Simple Wins in This Complicated World

I hope this was helpful in giving you a practical way to simplify your life. I would love to hear your feedback --- questions, comments, and even stories are welcome!

Cheers,

- Leon

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Lifehack How "Simple" can give you multiple wins