on creating simplicity

Tackling a complicated task can be hard. How does one know when, where, and how to start? The task at hand could be writing a book, painting a picture, or instituting a good habit and stopping a bad one. This author has been experimenting with breaking down difficult tasks into their composite elements until but simple bits remain, then addressing those bits individually, one at a time.

Few people who write books, for example, sit down and complete the whole thing at one go. Most writers compose one sentence or paragraph at a time, churning out the pages through laborious, daily, methodical, repetitive effort. Faced with the challenge of writing a feature-length, stand-alone piece, this author sat frustrated for weeks until he tried the tactic of breaking down each chapter into an individual file, then each chapter into individual paragraphs (by marking each with an underline). The next step was setting himself deadlines for fleshing out the various paragraphs of a given chapter, whereupon he’d remove the underline markers and click the files closed upon their completion (after copying the newly created content into a master file, of course). This process turned the complex task of writing a new chapter into a series of simple acts, each with its own visible and tactile elements.

This process, he thinks, is scaleable; it applies to most tasks. To tidy up a room, identify the areas within it that need attention, grab broom and dustpan, then focus on one brush-stroke at a time. To fix a flat bicycle tire, assemble the required tools, remove the wheel, then focus on one step of the process at a time. For persons looking to understand more of the reasoning behind this may of approaching complex tasks, please refer to verse 63 of the Tao Te Ching (translated by J. Star), which reads: Step by step the world’s burden is lifted; Piece by piece the world’s treasure is amassed.

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan

logic of leaving

In keeping with previous efforts to record the logic by which this whorphan lives, the following are logical steps he takes in preparation for leaving home.

Before even approaching the front portal he runs through the list of tasks he wishes to accomplish whilst out-of-doors. Once the steps necessary to accomplish the tasks at hand are clearly fixed in his mind, he gathers up the tools necessary to go about his business quickly and efficiently. These might include a laptop to use at the public library, an overnight ruck packed the night before, a pair of worn-out shoes that need cobbling, a list of groceries and the reusable shopping bag in which to carry them, a few dollars to pay for services rendered, &c.

By glancing quickly out the window he collects information about the weather and gathers up the tools needed to shield himself from it, be they umbrella and raincoat or sunshades and hat. After securing shoes to his feet he checks that cell-phone, house-key, and wallet are on his person. Steeled by one last mental run-through of the upcoming tasks, he finally opens the door and makes good his exit.

If he sticks to the above steps he can attend to his various external errands via the most efficient walking or bicycling route without doubling back to fetch some forgotten thing.

Spes mea in ratio est.

americanifesto / JPR / whorphan / 場黑