The K.I.S.S. principle has been around for a while, but I think it is worth a reminder. At least as a reminder to myself – more on that in a moment. When it comes to self-improvement and setting goals, it is very easy to go overboard and take on too much all at once. Believe me when I say, less is more!
K.I.S.S. originally started out as an acronym for, “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” I prefer taking out the “stupid” and change it to, "Keep It Super Simple." But the point is that when it comes to self-improvement, whether at work, in your relationships, or in your personal life – don’t overwhelm yourself. Keep it simple.
A quick personal story. I worked for FranklinCovey for 19 years. The “Franklin” portion of the FranklinCovey name was a homage to Benjamin Franklin who, according to his biography, focused on living a virtuous life. The early time management programs that consultants at FranklinCovey would teach were based on identifying your values and goals and aligning your daily tasks with them. So, in my early 20’s, true to this time management training, I wrote down my values and what mattered to me and have regularly referred to them and refined them ever since. This has been a blessing in my life as I have worked to be aligned with my values.
Now let’s talk about my recent experience. I have been working on a book and have been thinking about the power of virtues and focusing on them like Ben Franklin did. Mr. Franklin chose 13 virtues that he focused on (temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility). Being thorough and maybe a little bit of an overachiever (there are so many great virtues to choose from), I identified 24 virtues and began to track how I was doing with each virtue in a daily habit tracker. Now the benefit was that I was regularly reminded of the virtues that were important to me. But half-way through the month I stopped tracking. It was overwhelming. At the end of a busy day, I found myself quickly reading through the list and randomly deciding if I was true to each of the 24 virtues. I was going through the motions. It wasn’t effective. So, I stopped.
Take 2! In the spirit of K.I.S.S., I am focusing on one virtue. At the beginning of the week, I write down a virtue and define what the virtue means to me. At the beginning of each day, I ponder the meaning of the virtue and consider a few ways that I might align myself with that virtue during the day. At the end of the day, I review how well I lived up to that virtue. At the end of the week, I decide if I need more time with this virtue or if I need to stick it out a little longer. So far, so good. I’m more focused. I am not overwhelmed. Quality over quantity.
So let me suggest, as you think about how you want to improve yourself, Keep It Super Simple. Pick one thing to focus on. NOT 24! Go all in on the one thing. When you have achieved that goal or turned your new virtue into a habit, celebrate, and then add a new goal, dream, or potential habit to work on. Achieving one is so much better than none.