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Simplify!
About every five to six months I go through the same cycle. It starts with me figuring out that I have overloaded myself to the point of burn out. Then I sit back and make hard decisions on what I need to dump from my life in order to make things more simple and be more effective.
I think I just hit that wall again. The last time I hit that wall was in September. I had just started at Podango and I had way too much on my plate. I off loaded a bunch of stuff but slowly I’ve allowed things to creep back in. So tomorrow I’m taking inventory and deciding what I need to shelve, adjust and just plain dump.
Simplify.
I find that people are apt to making their lives harder than they need to be. I am no exception to this. I had this epiphany several months ago when I realized that I was attracted to complex business models. I had to sit back and ask myself why simple, proven business model didn’t seem to be worthy of my time or effort. Since then, I’ve cleared out all the highly complex, high start up capital ideas floating around in my head. The amazing thing is that I have found simple business models to have way more potential than the complex models. Think about this in terms of YouTube. Its a simple idea: give people a great video player and allow them to share their video. Eighteen months later Google buys you for $1.65 billion.
Simplify.Â
Lately, I’ve been considering a move. We’ve been in our current home for 3 and a half years. My wife and I have always liked a neighborhood near the one we currently live in. The houses in this neighborhood range from $500k to $800k+.  One house looked really nice and was in the 700K range. Then I woke up and asked myself what I was thinking. A freaking $700k home? Moving after only three or so years in a perfectly nice home? Home owners fees? Starting over? No thanks. I can stay put and pay off my house and student loans in the next 10 to 15 years. Why make life more difficult? Why add the overhead? Why put myself into that much more debt? All to keep up with the Joneses? No thanks!
Simplify.
I blogged recently about wanting a new car. I decided yesterday to hold on to the perfectly fine Honda Accord I currently drive. Why add a car payment? Why get into more debt? All to make myself feel cool? My father-in-law is a very successful oral surgeon and he drives a 1991 Mitsubishi Galant. Think about that one for a minute.
Simplify!
Nice post, Chris. (Forgets that new car I’ve been envying)
Left by Blake Snow on 02/08/2007I just put a Ferrari F430 on my desktop today so I could have a reminder everyday of how that will be my car.
D’oh’
Left by Russell Page on 02/08/2007@Russ
I’m a Ferrari guy myself. Maybe someday - D’oh’!
Left by Chris Knudsen on 02/09/2007Nice work, dude. Simplifying is a cool way to clean up your business model, but it’s an even cooler lifestyle. Thanks for the reminder.
Left by Jeff Jordan on 02/09/2007