Nobody ever complains that it’s too simple. Yet we all have a tendency to complicate things for ourselves. In writing, brand messaging, creative projects, or life in general! Simplicity means clarity, relatability and ease. Why not choose it?!

Want to 🎧 listen to this episode? Scroll down/click here. Or, continue reading...

I’ve been listening to Ann Handley’s book. It’s called Everybody Writes. This is the latest, second version of the book. It specialises in writing related to marketing, but overall her writing tips are great!

Something she said in a recent chapter really hit me. It spoke out to me. Ann mentions how the simpler we keep our writing, our messaging, the better it is. And then she said these words…

Nobody ever complains that something is too simple.

It’s very true! Nobody ever complains about simplicity, and yet we all get worried. Is this too simple? Should we dress it up a little more? Should we make it a little more complicated? Otherwise maybe it won’t have more value.

And I don’t mean this just in terms of writing. Yes, when we’re building a brand, when we’re writing a message on our websites, on our social media posts, on our blogs, wherever, yes, a lot of tendency is to complicate things, explain too much, try to write in a flowery way. I see a lot of that happening.

But then, it’s not just in writing, even in our lives we tend to do with that.

Sometimes if something’s too simple, we start getting afraid.

We feel like, “Am I doing something wrong? It shouldn’t be this easy, right?”

Have you ever caught yourself doing this? I’m sure you can think of situations where it felt too easy. And because it was too easy, you felt a little out of sorts. Like this should probably be complicated and “because it’s easy, then I’m probably not putting in my optimum effort, not doing it the right way. It can’t be this simple can it? It can’t be this easy can it?”

But there’s a lot of value in simplicity and ordinariness.

First of all, when it comes to putting a message out there, building a brand, being creative, people relate to you better if it’s more simple.

The thing with simplicity is that it doesn’t intimidate, and there’s more clarity by default because you’re keeping things simple.

And it’s the same thing when we plan things in our own lives, do things a certain way, do projects, do work, create something, even in the way we dress or present ourselves in the world, we tend to overthink, overcomplicate. We worry that simplicity will not be impressive.

But here’s something I’ve heard someone say, and even that touched me, really made sense to me.

“It takes an extraordinary person to be extra ordinary.”

So honestly, it’s actually not that easy to be simple. It isn’t like you’re giving up and you’re like, “Okay, whatever. I’ll just keep it simple”

You know, it doesn’t mean half-heartedness when you keep things simple. It just means that you’re keeping things easy, you’re keeping things clear and understandable and relatable for everybody involved.

And that makes for a better experience overall for you as a creator, builder, writer, business owner, even a home maker.

It makes things easier for you, and it puts people at ease.

Whoever’s reading your work, watching your video, attending a party or an event you’ve planned, the simpler you keep it, the easier they’re going to feel to be around you. So think about that. This thing Anne said about how nobody ever complained about simplicity.

Nobody ever complained that this thing you’ve written is too simple. Never once has anybody complained about that. That’s something for us to remember always, because it projects on the rest of our lives too, not just in our writing and our brand building. But yes, remember it also in your brand building, in your marketing, in your plans.

So the next time you find yourself overthinking, over complicating something, ask yourself…

How can I make this simpler for myself, for others?

How can I keep this easy and clear for everyone? Because that will pay off and that will result in a much better, more fulfilling experience for all concerned. So yeah, keep it simple. That’s it for today.

If you enjoyed this episode, then drop me a voice note. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

All right! Talk to you again next week. Take care. Bye.

Listen to the episode on the audio player below 👇🏽 (or on any podcast app you like).

(If you’d like to read the gently edited text version, scroll to the top or click here.)

New here? Find out more about The Feel Good Factor Podcast. If you think this episode can help someone, please share it with them. I’d also really appreciate a rating/review wherever you listen to podcasts. They help the show get discovered by more people like you.

---

Susmitha Veganosaurus

“I read voraciously, find humour in most things, and I’m most in my element when I’m teaching, writing, and playing with clay. I believe authenticity and kindness are the keys to world peace. Sign up for myfree newsletterwhere I share conversational emails with stories about Life and Business Tips, Vegan Hacks, Holistic Guidance, and more.“

---