When something feels complicated, most teams respond the same way: add fields, add rules, add steps. It feels responsible in the moment.
But it usually makes the day-to-day work harder, not easier.
Why We Default to Complexity
Complexity feels like competence. When someone presents a simple solution, there's always someone in the room who asks "but what about...?" And then another edge case. And another. Each one adds a little more complexity. Each one feels justified. And before you know it, the simple solution has become a complex one — not because it needed to be, but because nobody had the courage to say "that edge case doesn't matter."
The trap isn't that we can't think of simple solutions. It's that simple solutions don't feel like enough. They feel like we didn't try hard enough. Like we're cutting corners. Like we're being lazy.
The Courage to Simplify
Simplifying is harder than complicating. Anyone can add complexity — just handle another edge case, add another field, create another workflow. Simplifying requires saying "no" to things that seem reasonable. It requires understanding the problem deeply enough to know what doesn't matter.
That's why complexity is a trap. It's the path of least resistance. It feels productive. It looks impressive. But it creates overhead that compounds over time, until the solution is more complex than the problem it was built to solve.
The Box
The shift in mentality is this: put yourself in a tight box. Whatever doesn't fit isn't important. This forces you to confront the questions that complexity lets you avoid — what is actually important? What needs to be done first? Everything else is secondary.
That's uncomfortable. It requires judgment. It requires saying no. But it's the only way to stay focused on what matters.