GOOGLE founder Sergei Brin recently was asked in CNN Money how to succeed this year. He said, “Success will come from simplicity.”

I treasure simplicity; the simpler things are, the better I like them. Life is so cluttered that the more we can un-clutter it, the better. Sergei Brin says that technology has become overly complex, and that Google works hard to keep things simple. One of the things that initially attracted me (and a lot of other people) to Google’s main search page is its simplicity: lots of white space, a minimal amount of text. When you make things more complex than they need to be, you invite problems. A famous principle called Occam’s Razor states (paraphrased): “All other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best.”

The principle of simplicity relates to your business. Work on the KISS principle – that’s Keep it Short and Simple. (I know that’s not how you heard it; it’s how I like to state it. ) How can you get things done more simply?  How can you streamline processes and systems in your business to allow you to do less, not more?  

How much equipment do you really need? How many pictures on the wall? How many computers? Get rid of those single-usesimplicity in business office devices. Food techie Alton Brown (the “Good Eats” guy) says all kitchen utensils must be multi-purpose. He throws out single-purpose utensils.

Keeping things simple also helps you keep costs down. That single-purpose all-in-one combination printer/copier/fax/scanner is a whole lot cheaper than 4 different products, and it keeps down the clutter.

Keeping things simple also gives your customers a positive image of your business. People react negatively to clutter; when they walk into your business, they want to see things neat and clean and simple.  The beginning of the New Year is a good time to get rid of the clutter, simplify your life and your work, enjoy the simple things.

Find more “simplicity” tips on the My Organized Biz blog.  What does “simplicity” mean to you?

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