Clark B. Montgomery Fast Company Article March, 1999

"Keep It Simple" Warshaw, M. (1998, June). Fast Company, 15, p.154

Summary

"Keep It Simple" is an article offering principles and techniques to help make life less complicated and more rewarding in this fast paced world. The article results from an interview with the "simplicity guru" and former real estate tycoon Elaine St. James. St. James overlying theory is there are many overworked and overstressed businesspeople who would like to make life simpler by scaling back their commitments. Unfortunately, they often lack the courage of their convictions to make that occur. According to St. James, "maintaining a complicated life is a great way to avoid changing it."

St. James offers five principles that, if followed, can help to simplify a harried lifestyle. In the first, It's About Time, is based on the premise that simplifying life results from taking personal control and allocating more individual time. That means freeing up time, both on the job and at home, to do the things you want to do. Interestingly, she quotes a Time/CNN poll stating that 65% of Americans spend their leisure time doing things they'd prefer not to do. She asks, "What's the point of leading a full life if you don't have the time and energy to enjoy it?" As a remedy, she suggests freeing up one hour a day for thirty days simply for personal reflection. At the end of that period, a better understanding about what's complicating life and how to best correct it will likely evolve.

St. James second point, Less Is More, is obvious. Fewer possessions, less responsibility, reduced volunteer commitment, simpler financial investments, and a more limited social life all mean more personal time. In St. James situation of being self-employed, she was also able to reduce working hours. The result has been an improvement in the quality of her life with no sacrifice in productivity and success.

In the third premise, Just Say No, St. James quotes playwright Jules Renard who said, "The truly free man is he who can decline a dinner invitation without giving an excuse." The assertion is that if you can't say "no", you can't lead a simple life. St. James believes that individuals can't maintain more than three priorities in their lives at one time. If there's work and family, that only leaves room for one other concern. Her advice is simple, "figure out what your priorities are, and say no to everything else."

Possessions Are Nine-Tenths of the Problem, is St. James fourth point and is just another way of stating "we are slaves to our possessions". She elaborates further, claiming that it's more than earning the money it takes to buy these gadgets that complicates life. The bigger problem is the time it takes to install, maintain, fix, operate and enjoy them. Her advice is to wait thirty days before making any new purchase. If you still want the item after that time, buy it. Most likely, you won't remember why you wanted it to begin with.

St. James last point, What Really Matters Is . . . What Really Matters, is really a summation of all her principles. In that, she theorizes that when individuals reach a level of understanding with themselves, about what is truly important in their life, they will focus on those issues and life will become happier and simpler. The key involves freeing up the time for reflection to reach that intellectual plane.

Reflection

I thought the article "Keep It Simple" was a well written, understandable and informative piece of work. Furthermore, the message it conveyed was greatly complemented by the author's writing style ("Keep It Simple" - simple writing style). Although the principles offered in the writing weren't revolutionary discovery, they brought focus to some base concepts that many of us overlook in our daily existence. The article made a lot of sense to me. In fact, it even contains a simple recipe for success -- all that's required is to take the first step. If only it were that simple.

Discussion

In discussion with others, most were in agreement that the article provided good advice, but lacked practicality. To wit, "life's just not that simple - most of us have unwelcome responsibilities and commitments we can't just walk away from". I think that's exactly the point St. James tries to make. Our biggest problem/constraint is not our environment, but is ourselves and our unconscious conformity. It's almost as if we'd be out of step to actually do what's necessary to better enjoy our existence.

-- Anonymous, March 11, 1999