Simple is king. Easy is queen.

A younger me loved complication. There was an implicit association between complication and something "good"—that the more complicated or sophisticated something was, the better it was. A sophisticated solution was always sexier than a simple answer.

With more life experience under my belt, I've come to believe the inverse. A simple, understandable algorithm is more beautiful than a complex, convoluted one.

Let me explain with a simple example. I used to think I needed to find the perfect workout routine. I would overthink everything—ensuring I'd hit all the right muscles, cardio, stretching, and more. I wanted to make sure I achieved the elusive "100%."

What happened with that plan? It never happened.

But today, I am in the best physical shape of my life. What changed?

I picked a weightlifting plan with only five exercises. I grabbed a jump rope and stuck with it. I made it easy to show up each day.

My workout routine is very boring. And yet, I can now jump rope for 30 minutes daily, sometimes going for a full hour. I routinely squat my body weight and bench press just 10 pounds below it. My strength and cardio are in great shape because I chose a simple plan—one that didn’t require constant thought or overplanning. I made it easy for myself to show up consistently and build progress over time.

Could a more complex routine get me to 100%? Maybe. But I’m not a pro athlete—I don’t need to be at 100%.

I’m personally tired of complicated things. Bay Area tech culture seems to fetishize complexity, peacocking one algorithm or clever solution after another, playing "code golf" to impress colleagues. Not everything needs to be so damn hard.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t tackle hard things, nor that life isn’t inherently complex. But we can adopt perspectives and approaches that embrace simplicity and ease. These approaches help us show up every day and stay focused.

Next time you find yourself overcomplicating or overthinking, ask yourself: How can I simplify this? If I could have it my way, how would this be easy? You might just find a creative path to achieving your goals.