In a world that seems to increase in complexity almost daily, getting back to simplicity can be challenging. Writer Leo Babauta’s website Zen Habits focuses on simplicity and mindfulness in the daily hustle of life.
Some years ago, Leo posted a great article outlining a “a simple method of simplifying.”
Leo starts his article with the quote from Leonardo da Vinci, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” He then makes the point that most systems for simplifying tend be be complicated. His method to overcome this: The Four Laws of Simplicity, and How to Apply Them to Life.
His four laws of simplicity:
- Collect everything in one place.
- Choose the essential.
- Eliminate the rest.
- Organize the remaining stuff neatly and nicely.
You can’t get much simpler than that.
There’s been a lot of verbiage written on organizing and simplifying–not the least of which, is here on Ian’s Messy Desk. If you tend to get bogged down in complex systems, click the link above and see what Leo has to offer.