How to K.I.S.S

We all have learnt several acronyms for easier comprehension or memorizing some information in a way which is simpler for us. Well, one of the best acronym’s turned principle that has stayed with me and which I still believe in is called K.I.S.S-Keep it Simple Stupid. This term is known to be coined by late Kelly Johnson who was the lead engineer at Lockheed Martin. I was in 8th grade when my Technology class teacher said the best way to memorize or remember anything is to KISS. I was taken by surprise initially, but looking back when you KISS in life, on a holistic level — both physically & mentally you feel so much more relaxed. Yes, we should set goals, targets, make bucket lists but the first step in this should be to Stop over-complicating & Start Simplifying.

In a span of 24 hours-1,440 minutes-86,400 seconds we make so many choices and decisions on a daily basis. Right from something as regular as “What should I have for breakfast tomorrow?” to the more critical ones such as “How is my relationship with this person?”. Every action is a result of the choices we make, every choice is a result of our thoughts.

On a daily basis we may think about-Food, Exercise, Work, House chores, Relationships and the list goes on and on. Some of the key aspects in everyone’s lives are:

• Health
• Relationships
• Work
• Lifestyle

Balancing all of the above at times stresses us out, but the fact is it can all be done if we declutter our minds and organize it like a stack of folders in our computers. After all computers were made by humans.

1.Health

Nutrition: Today supermarkets have an abundance of products available and every 2–3 years we hear a new diet which is becoming a fad and we tend to jump on that bandwagon. Instead of that, keep things simple & just be self-aware of what you are eating throughout the day and ask yourself is it healthy or not? And even if you have a pizza or burger as a one-off meal do not stress about it, it is completely alright — you are having it because you enjoy it. Follow a diet, but do not be too hard on yourself.

Exercise: Similar to nutrition, there are different forms of exercises which keep on trending with time or a new sport that evolves over time. In this lockdown the number of people that have bought bicycles is mind-blowing, but it was not that everyone enjoyed cycling. Do activities or play sports YOU enjoy, do not follow others. Don’t overdo any activity as well-start slow and gradually as you get better at it, you can increase the intensity. Overdoing anything can have a negative impact-take calculated risk. e.g If you want to run a 10k but you haven’t run since the last 3–4 months-start slow with walk/jogs, get into a routine, let your body adapt and then graduate to running for short durations to longer durations.

Sleep: Ample rest at night = Productive day ahead, this is an autonomous cycle which follows. Sounds quite simple, yet very few are able to follow it. To know how much time is “good” for you — you can sleep at a fixed time (10pm) daily and see what time you wake up in morning without an alarm. Try it for a week and you will know how much rest your body requires. But 7–8 hours of minimum sleep on a consistent basis makes a humongous difference to your daily routine- be it exercise, work, discipline, nutrition etc. When we sleep, we are resting — but there are lots of internal processes that take place in our body. Inadequate sleep can result in several health issues such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes amongst others. Health and Sleep are interconnected. If you feel sleep is not important have a look at our counterparts — animals, they spend a good amount of their day sleeping. Yes, we do have a lot of other things to look into in our lives, but basic necessities be it humans or animals are the same. Sleep is a basic necessity and should be up there in terms of priorities. Let us prioritize our sleep for staying healthy, enjoying the sunrises, discovering nature and living our lives to the fullest.

Photo by Everton Vila on Unsplash

2. Relationships

Right from the time we are born until we leave this planet, we interact with various people from different backgrounds-be it age, gender, race, personalities, origin etc. We connect at a deeper level with a few — some whom we love, some who we have a great bonding with, some who are friends like family, and some may just be acquaintance or people who we know of.

Listening: Be observant & take what anyone tells you at face value but still be a good judge of character. Don’t over think what their motive is, why did they say that. Keep things simple & accept their truth. Listening is one skill which I feel many of us have forgotten as we have so much on our minds we want to say, that we stop listening and comprehending what the opposite person is saying. Start Listening and you will be shining in others eyes.

Talking: If you have an opinion about a specific topic — just say it. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Leave everything you feel out in the open, the more you keep things within, more it will bother & stress you internally. Love someone-say it, Dislike something-say it. We all have one life as humans so why over think everything we say. Lay it out in the open — even if things do not go as you intended at least you will be content with yourself.

Observation: Many a times, we have a lot to say to others but sometimes the key is to be very observant. There will be moments when someone may not express how they are feeling but by being observant of people and things you can be more empathetic towards that individual and be more understanding. Observing one’s body language can give you a great insight to that person’s thought process, behaviour and actions.

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

3. Work

Most of us have a set time we spend every day working, but the key is to have it planned well so that you can maximize the quantum of work in the time you have. To ensure we are productive during “work hours” we should:

• Create a List of “Pending things to do” & List them priority wise — this can be done the night prior or early morning when on way to work. It should not take more than 5 minutes of your time, but it will make a big difference when you reach the office and begin working.
• Pomodoro Technique- Immerse yourself in the task at hand for 25 minutes, no distractions or disturbances. After 25 minutes are over, take a 5-minute break- can just walk around, have coffee, speak with your colleagues or friends. If you can focus for a longer time you may try that as well. But the main purpose is to focus on a SINGLE task at one time and not multi-task. This way your mind is more focused and working whole heartedly towards that.
• Plan your Day in advance: Preferable to keep a structure in place for the number of hours you spend at work. Example: If spending 8 Hours at work, break it up into what you plan to do in first 4 hours and next 4 hours. Keep a specific time when you should attend to all the emails, have review meetings, work calls, work on projects etc. In the first half of the day, focus on the List you have made and check off all the work you complete. Checking off the list also gives a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. Prioritize urgent vs important work.

Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash

4. Lifestyle

Life is just like a seesaw; we need to learn how to attain the right balance. Not excess of one thing nor deficient of another. It does sound simple when you say it but of course implementation is the key here. The reason it is important to maintain an optimum balance is that you can be happy & content in the moment.

• Work-Life Balance: Most of us struggle with this one, but if we make a pact with our partners, family members that once you leave work, no more discussion of work at home, both mentally & physically you will be in a better space and be productive overall without feeling exhausted or tired.
• Activities you enjoy: I am sure most of would say YES, I enjoy my work. But there is always more to life than just your daily work. Just like in school we had classes where we had study time & PT Time (playing sports). Similarly, we should make time for our hobbies or other passions — it can vary from cooking a new dish, reading books, writing, dancing — the list can go on. Over time these hobbies can convert to alternate business opportunities as well, you never know. After all, Variety is the spice of Life.
• Family Time: With your daily routine work & the time we spend using technology, we tend to forget spending time with our loved ones-Family. Time that is gone never comes back, so make it a point to daily spend some time with your family-it can be just talking about your day, watching a movie, having dinner together or doing a fun activity together. The value of Family I feel holds much more weightage than anything else we may do throughout the day.

Keeping things simple can improve your life in not one but multiple ways. Similar to how a computer has several folders & memory spaces, our brain has immense potential-we should allocate space in our minds & time on a regular basis for everything we do. Simplifying your life can lead to:

• Reduced Stress
• More times for what you love.
• Space to learn.
• Space to be in the moment.
• Less is More-value everything you have. (Minimalism)

The K.I.S.S (Keep it Simple, Stupid) principle can be applied to all our lives. Adopting this principle can help you focus on letting go of stuff you don’t need, buy less, manage your time better, eat well, exercise more and generally start feeling better about your life.

We all are in different stages in our lives. But making small simple changes such as eliminating clutter, buying less stuff, donating things etc will make you feel happier and at peace as well. A big part of this learning can begin from telling yourself-Keep it Simple, stupid!

Make everything as simple as possible but not simpler — Albert Einstein

Simplify to Amplify your Life. — Anonymous