Why Simple Usually Beats Perfect
Have you ever spent so much time trying to figure out the best way to do something that you could have finished it already?
I know I have!
You want to make a quick dinner, but suddenly you’re searching through recipes trying to find the perfect one. You know…something new that everyone will like, and that you can add to your regular rotation.
You need to organize a closet, but first you start researching storage containers, organizing systems, and clever ways to use every inch of space. After all, you don’t have much space, so you want to make the most of what you have.
Or you want to send someone a thoughtful message, but you spend so long trying to find exactly the right words that you don’t send anything at all.
It’s funny how easily something simple can turn into a project.
And the frustrating part is that all that extra effort doesn’t necessarily make the result any better. Sometimes it just makes the whole thing take longer.
What if the simple version would have worked perfectly well?
When Good Enough Is Actually Good
I think we’ve gotten so used to hearing that we should always do our best that we sometimes forget to ask what our best effort is actually needed for.
There are absolutely things worth taking extra time to get right. But does every dinner need to be an amazing meal? Does every room need to look like it belongs in a magazine? Does every birthday card need the most thoughtful message anyone has ever written?
Of course not!
Sometimes the goal is simply to feed everyone, find what you’re looking for, or let someone know you’re thinking about them.
And when you look at it that way, the simple version often accomplishes exactly what you wanted.
Good enough isn’t necessarily settling. Sometimes it’s recognizing that you’ve already achieved the goal.
The Extra Work We Give Ourselves
One thing I’ve noticed is that perfectionism doesn’t always look like trying to make something flawless.
Sometimes it looks like adding unnecessary steps.
You decide to clean the kitchen, but before you know it, you’re reorganizing drawers, sorting through expired food, and researching better ways to store everything.
You want to start walking regularly, but first you feel like you need the right shoes, a fitness tracker, a walking schedule, and a plan for increasing your steps.
You want to invite a friend over, but suddenly you’re thinking about cleaning the entire house, planning a special meal, and making everything look nice.
I really get that last one. Whenever I (or anyone in my family) wants to invite someone over, we start thinking about everything that needs to be done first. And I don’t mean a quick cleaning. I’m talking about reorganizing things, making sure nothing is out of place, and getting the entire house looking just right. The kind of project that could take days, not minutes or hours.
And because we don’t have that kind of free time, we don’t do it. So the friend doesn’t get invited over. All because we feel like the house needs to be perfect first.
Now don’t get me wrong…none of those extra things is necessarily bad.
But they can turn something you wanted to do into something that feels like too much work. And sometimes that means you don’t do it at all.
The kitchen stays messy. The walk doesn’t happen. The friend never gets invited.
All because the simple version didn’t feel like enough.
What’s the Actual Goal?
Here’s a question I think can make a big difference:
What am I actually trying to accomplish?
Not what would make this impressive. Not what would make it look beautiful in a photo. Not what someone else might think I should do.
What do I actually need this to accomplish?
If the goal is to have clean clothes, they don’t necessarily need to be folded perfectly. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done a load of laundry, especially pajamas and socks, and left everything in the laundry basket for a day or two before putting it away. The clothes were clean. That was the important part!
If the goal is to eat more vegetables, frozen vegetables count, and take a lot less time to prepare than a fresh salad!
If the goal is to spend time with someone you care about, ordering pizza and sitting around talking can be just as wonderful as preparing a special dinner.
If the goal is to get some movement into your day, a ten-minute walk is still a walk.
When you get clear on the real goal, it’s easier to see which steps are useful and which ones you’ve added because you feel like you should.
And that can make the whole thing much simpler.
The Simple Version Is Often the One You’ll Actually Do
There’s another reason I think simple usually wins.
It’s easier to repeat.
You might be able to make an elaborate dinner once in a while. But if your goal is to feed your family reasonably well throughout the week, having a few easy meals you can prepare without much thought is probably more useful.
You might spend an entire Saturday organizing your home. But if your goal is to keep things reasonably tidy, a simple way to put things away as you go may help more over time.
You might create a detailed exercise plan. But if it’s so complicated that you rarely follow it, a simpler plan you actually enjoy might get you further. My husband and I often go for a few 15-minute walks throughout the day. We get some movement in, enjoy a little time together, and break up the day. Nothing complicated, but it works for us!
The perfect version might look impressive. But the simple version has a pretty big advantage. It has a better chance of becoming something you actually do.
And when it comes to everyday life, that matters a lot.
Simple Doesn’t Mean Careless
Now, I don’t want to suggest that everything should be done as quickly or easily as possible.
Some things deserve more attention.
Important decisions, safety, health, relationships, and work that genuinely requires precision aren’t places to cut corners simply for the sake of saving time.
And sometimes we choose to put extra effort into something because we enjoy it.
There’s nothing wrong with spending an afternoon making a complicated recipe if you love cooking. Or decorating your home because it makes you happy. Or planning a special celebration because the details matter to you.
The difference is whether the extra effort is giving you something you actually value. There’s a big difference between choosing to do more and feeling like you have to.
Simple isn’t about caring less. It’s about being more intentional about where you put your effort.
Try the Simplest Version First
The next time you catch yourself making something more complicated than it needs to be, try asking:
What’s the simplest version of this that would still accomplish what I want?
If you’re trying to organize something, start by making it easier to find what you need.
If you’re putting off contacting a friend, send a quick message instead of waiting until you have time to write something longer. If you’re struggling to decide what to make for dinner, choose something familiar that everyone will eat.
And if the simple version works, you’re done! You don’t have to keep improving it just because you could.
Of course, if it doesn’t work, you can always make adjustments.
But at least you’ll be improving something you’ve actually tried, rather than spending all your time preparing for the perfect version.
You Don’t Have to Make Everything Impressive
I think there’s a lot of freedom in realizing that ordinary things are allowed to be ordinary.
Dinner can just be dinner. A clean room doesn’t have to be beautifully organized. A thoughtful gesture doesn’t have to be elaborate.
You don’t have to turn every ordinary task into something impressive.
Sometimes simple really is better.
What Would Be Good Enough This Week?
Think about something you’ve been putting off because you can’t do it the way you think it should be done.
Now ask yourself:
What would actually be good enough?
Not careless. Not rushed. Just enough to accomplish what matters.
If you’ve been putting off inviting someone over because the house isn’t perfect, could you tidy the main room and enjoy their company anyway?
If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to start something, could you take one small step today?
If you’ve been making an ordinary task more complicated than it needs to be, what could you leave out?
Choose one thing and give yourself permission to do the simpler version.
You might discover that it gives you exactly what you needed.
And even if it isn’t perfect, it’s a whole lot better than the perfect version that never happens.
Want to Make Everyday Life a Little Easier?
If you’re tired of making things more complicated than they need to be, Designed for Real Life can help you identify what’s getting in the way and find practical ways to make everyday tasks and routines work better.
You’ll learn how to spot unnecessary friction, redesign things around your actual life, and create small systems you can realistically maintain.
Because the goal isn’t to create a perfect life.
It’s to create one that works better for you.
