“When we’re accustomed to doing things the hard way it’s like being blinded by the glare coming off the water”--Greg McKeown in “Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most”
These three misconceptions, or illusions our
brains like to believe, give us a glimpse at the underlying causes.
- There is a subconscious belief that doing things the right way means hard work and long work hours. Given that basic assumption, we never consider the idea that we can get the same outcome (which is the goal, right?) with much less effort.
- Another
way the brain tricks us is the idea that “we can’t afford to” do something
that would make life easier. This belief ignores the vital idea that our
time is valuable. The hours we spend grinding it out week after week have
a cost. Could you choose to use your budget in a way that allows you to
spend where you don’t think you can? Or would it be worth going to a few
local businesses and asking for help, in exchange for a sponsorship,
maybe? Or even worth spending less on that daily latte? We tend to see
everything as either/or, and usually, many options allow us to reach our
goal.
- Finally,
changing the way we do something requires us to learn new technology
(assuming this is the opportunity to make things easier). You can’t teach
an old dog new tricks. There are tons of solutions involving tech that can
streamline your activities. Still, any tech we are unfamiliar with feels intimidating.
However, all good apps and programs have lots of information on the web
(Google?), in their knowledgebase of articles, and often have customer
service that will walk you through getting past the unknowns. Good
companies want to help you succeed, take advantage of the framework they
make available.
If we aren’t thoughtful and purposeful, our brain will keep telling us to do things “the hard way.”
