Everybody knows that Pablo Picasso was well known for his super-minimalist studio. And that very expensive notebook he wrote his grocery list in. And who can forget his visionary writings like 29 Ways To Clean A Paintbrush For Under $10?
Wait, he wasn’t known for that?
What made him a good artist then? Oh yeah. He made things.
I stumbled across MinimalistMac today, a site I’m sure I remember reading years ago. Its articles and links romaticise the ideology of broad desks, blank computer desktops, and utilities that make it easier to do things. A clean, organised workspace definitely has a good impact on the psyche, and it’s maybe this reason that people read sites like MinimalistMac: they provide a view of creative zen.
Here’s my argument: Why must the writers of these sites so happily sing the priases of Simple™ note-taking applications, to-do list managers and text editors? The idea of simplicity has transformed from a personal ideal to a marketable tag-line, pushed on every person that product is advertised to. Everyone wants to work Simply™, right?
Now, I’m not bashing software developers. It’s important to state when your aim is to produce a simple tool, and these tools are often indispensible to the right people. There’s not a minute that goes by that I don’t use Quicksilver, because I’m a complete keyboard shortcut junkie. That’s the critical part: simple tools often only fit certain people.
When such software is marketed to the wrong people, it becomes a sap on your attention, time and energy. They become extra problems. But here’s the kicker that keeps people coming back time and time again: they’re easy to solve. Simple! Productive!
I could happily sit here all day, tagging each and every one of my emails from the past seven years. Do I need tags for my email? Someone probably does, but I don’t. ‘Prouctivity’, in this sense, isn’t necessarily productive.
Does any of this sound familiar? it should do, because it doesn’t just apply to $20 to-do list managers.
I’m having trouble starting this essay, but it’s so much easier to go make a cup of coffee, or eat something.
I’m dreading making this phone call, but while I’m here, I’ll check my email.
Hey, this article is really inspiring me to make things – I better head over to Twitter and mention it!
(Not that I’d mind the last one, of course.)
What I’m asking of you: Next time you’re tempted by something promising ‘simplicity’ and ‘increased productivity’, stop and think: Does it really deserve your time? Does it have the right to divert your attention from what’s more important? A clean desk is nice, as is a crisp new notebook, but challenge it. Control your time and energy in ways that help you make things.
I know, it’s hard to resist temptation. It’s an uphil sprint sometimes to get to starting, but when you get there? It’s all downhill, I promise.