"Simplicity is the ultimate in sophistication" Leonardo Da Vinci
A motto I tried to live by navigating through life both on the personal and professional levels.
As if life is not complicated enough to have people make it more complex. It seems a lot of people thrive on complex relationships and solutions and then complain how tough things are and how they just can not cope.
Life and work are full with complex and simple problems but these problems do not require complex solutions all the time. A lot of problems can be reduced into several simpler issues with definitely simple, easy to implement and efficient solutions (similar to distributed computing a few years back).
I am not advocating oversimplification of life or work but at least let us attempt not to overly complicate it.
As if life is not complicated enough to have people make it more complex. It seems a lot of people thrive on complex relationships and solutions and then complain how tough things are and how they just can not cope.
Life and work are full with complex and simple problems but these problems do not require complex solutions all the time. A lot of problems can be reduced into several simpler issues with definitely simple, easy to implement and efficient solutions (similar to distributed computing a few years back).
I am not advocating oversimplification of life or work but at least let us attempt not to overly complicate it.
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ReplyDeleteI agree.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I encounter a complex opportunity that needs a worthwhile solution to it, I tend to look at the bigger picture, slice the process into boxes that have the known input and output parameters and see if the variables of the equation are manageable for finding any form of optimization. This simplicity sounds more like sophistication, right?
Instead of more specializing, the world really needs more generalist professionals (engineering managers), relying on common logic. People that see the bigger picture but also have an significant amount of in-depth knowledge of systems and subsystems (e.g. from aircraft technology and IT to logistics management and global economic trends) will have the edge in a more complex future world.
Having said that, optimization (of complex (sub)systems) mostly comes from specialized knowledge. So I think we need a balance of both.
In the end, life is all about finding the right balance.
It is a great motto to follow I congratulate you on that. I have am also following that same motto now that I think about it more. Great Blog friend, I am now following,of course.
ReplyDeleteIt does not matter how complex a problem/project looks … break it down to smaller manageable modules that makes it easier to understand (and change in the future).
ReplyDeleteDocumenting will ensure that future changes and re-use of these modules will be easy.
Remember that the complex human body is made of small cell
Finally, when faced with a brain-lock and not finding a solution … taking a break from it – if time allows – and working on other issues usually clears the mind and provide fresh ideas to solve these “problems”