The beauty of boring

It’s astonishing how often I overlook the straightforward solutions to my problems, gravitating instead toward the complex or high-tech ones. I do this, even though it’s the simple, boring solutions that actually work.

I recently found myself in a productivity rut of sorts. Working for yourself means you (mostly) get to choose what you work on each day, and while liberating, this can also be paralyzing. Faced with a variety of compelling projects, I was unable to choose just one to work on. Instead, I avoided all of my projects by getting lost in YouTube wormholes or my email inbox.

As each unproductive day wound down, I would inevitably panic about the lack of progress made and begin frantically working, usually continuing late into the night. This slapdash approach produced predictably subpar results. To complete the vicious cycle, I would then lie awake worrying about how poorly things were going.

My “solution” to this problem was to order three new self help-ish books, enroll in an online course, and download a new to-do list app. None of that helped in the slightest of course.

What did eventually help was forcing myself to go to bed at a decent hour. Waking up refreshed after a full night’s sleep helped me stay disciplined and on task for long stretches of the day and I started to make progress on some of my most important projects.

It’s not sexy, but “get 8 hours of sleep” continues to be the answer to 90% of my problems.

This tendency in decision making and judgment where we prefer complex and detailed solutions over simpler, straightforward ones is what’s known as “complexity bias”. We are drawn to the mystery and intrigue of these elaborate solutions, falsely thinking they offer a depth and richness that simpler solutions lack.

Boring solutions are less seductive because they are missing the allure of novelty and, crucially, the promise of instant gratification. Instead, they demand consistency, discipline, and time.

Put another way: just because a boring solution is effective doesn’t mean it will be easy.

I've always been a fan of Dave Ramsey, the renowned personal finance guru, and his radio show. Each episode consists of distressed callers outlining their precarious financial situations, seeking Ramsey's guidance on debt elimination and wealth accumulation.

The interaction almost always unfolds in the same manner.

Guests pour out their financial woes while Ramsey listens and probes further with pointed questions. Eventually he gives his advice which, invariably, is to initiate a simple lifestyle change: start spending less than you earn. Most listeners protest, frantically exploring other more convoluted strategies for their financial dilemma.

Ramsey always stands his ground, repeating his fundamental mantra of financial prudence until the guest agrees (or hangs up). Despite the monotony and banality of his advice, it's the consistency and simplicity that makes it work.

So many things are like this.

Want to lose weight? Burn more calories than you consume. Want to write a book? Write 500 words every morning before work. Want to learn a new language? Practice for an hour every day. Want to grow your business? Make 100 sales calls a week.

Simple. Boring. Effective.

During the most recent NFL Draft, many pundits questioned why the Philadelphia Eagles selected Georgia’s Jalen Carter, a defensive lineman, with their first pick. Fresh off a narrow loss in last year’s Super Bowl, the Eagles already have the best defensive line in the league—a position that every analyst will tell you is key to winning football games.

Journalist Kevin Clark was not one of the pundits questioning this move. Immediately after the pick was made he shared this story via Twitter:

Shortly after the [2018 Super Bowl] I was talking to an Eagles person about their innovations—use of analytics, [going for it on] 4th down, offensive schemes, etc. Guy interrupts me and said, ‘we won because of our lines. Everything else comes after.’

When we see success we are quick to look for the cutting-edge strategy, the innovation, the secret sauce, the shortcut. But dig a little deeper and you realize there are no shortcuts to genuine, lasting success.

If a solution seems too boring or obvious, chances are that just means you’re on the right track.