Sticking With Simple

Do we have too much choice in life? How many more products, and people looking to make money from redesigning these products, do we need? Can-openers are another example, and how many different types of vacuum cleaner or lawnmower, do we really need? Surely we need to keep things simple?

What does having too much choice actually do? Does it create uncertainty and confusion? How much more time do we now spend in the supermarkets that were designed to help us save time? How much of our time is used up considering what we want – because we know we need it to make us feel happy – from the vast array of products on the market today.

All I wanted was a simple tool to check the pressure in my motorcycle tyres. Once in the store I was confronted with a whole bay devoted to differing pumps, gauges, and gadgets to help with this quest. Of course all these products were pitched at varying prices; the product I chose, is the one pictured, and even though this is made out of a material (steel) that will last way beyond the time I have left here on planet earth, it was the cheapest! Work that one out.

It all comes down to manufacturing costs I suppose, and yet it’s staggering to think that the most hardy – and sufficiently accurate tool – is often the least expensive. How to use this tool is also a reflection of its simplicity.

Simple is beautiful, and when something can’t be reduced-down any further, to make it work any better or more efficiently, it ought to be left well alone. The simplest, most powerful and efficient tools, will always stand the test of time. Another analogy from my day.