g’day
steve jobs - peace be upon him - understood something most bureaucrats never will:
“you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.
but it’s worth it — because once you get there, you can move mountains.”
apple products are the cathedrals of the 21st century.
they are what happens when builders fight for simplicity - and win.
but they’re rare, because most institutions stop fighting to move mountains.
instead, they shrug and say:
“it’s complex.”
australian politicians love describing issues as “complex”
complex.
> as in: we don’t want to explain it.
> as in: i don’t want to speak in specifics.
> as in: you couldn’t possibly understand.
you see, too many people confuse “complexity” with depth.
but most of the time, complexity isn’t deep, it’s just unexamined or entrenched.
> housing is complex.
> energy prices are complex.
> NDIS is complex.
sure.
but simplifying is the machete (sorry victorian readers) - the only way through the overgrowth.
simplicity surfaces trade-offs, demands decisions, forces action.
it builds things. moves mountains.
thinking simply - and speaking simply - is powerful.
ask the dumb questions, call out the elephant in the room, poke through the paper walls.
so if you’re a builder:
cling to simplicity like it’s a life raft.
it will move mountains.
and it will call bullshit on the people who want nothing to move at all.
charlie
ps - youtube videos will return soon, just working on getting a few process improvements in place before our second baby arrives next month (go backwards to go forwards).
pps – speaking of builders, the response to last week’s email was massive. just a few of the awesome projects the readers are building:
luca is building sparky digital, a marketing agency for electricians (nice niche for an agency to have)
matias is building givefluence to fight fraud and abuse in the charity sector
sam is building duckson, a classic-car inspired lifestyle brand (looks sick)
hans is building a western australian manufacturing org to promote local manufacturing and locally made products
sean is building powerlake, smart metering to improve energy supply around peak / off-peak times
