When you use your computer, you always notice it. A massive software application launches and your system slows down to a grinding halt. Sometimes it’s the antivirus program scanning. Sometimes it’s the automatic updates to the operating system. Everytime you are left waiting.
Waiting as the program selfishly commands all of your computer’s resources while it goes about its business. You’re left with 5% available RAM. Which means you can do pretty much nothing. Certainly, when you use your computer, you always notice bloated apps.
But what about when you use your brain?
Your Brain Is Like Your Computer
Similar to the way software runs your computer, thought processes run your brain. Some thought processes are efficient and get you an answer quickly and cleanly. Others demand all your mental resources – bogging you down for days – only to get to the same answer.
There are alternatives to bloated apps. You can run a simple, effective program or a complex, effective program. On your computer, there is almost always an alternative software that gets the same job don in a non-intrusive way. For example, you can use Notepad to do simple text editing jobs instead of Microsoft Word. You can use Fox-It Reader instead of Adobe Reader review PDF’s.
Use Quick and Effective Solutions Not Long and Complicated
Similarly, lightweight thought processes can produce the answers you want quicker than their heavyweight counterparts. For example, you might be tempted to implement a “balanced scorecard” process in your company to help with decisions. Head over to BalancedScorecard.org to see what it would take to do that. It’s not a project to be taken lightly.
Another example is writing a business plan. There are dozens of well-researched and encylopedic books on the topic. Unfortunately, many of these books are nearly 400 pages long. By the time you’ve finished reading it, your competition has probably raised money, built their product and launched their business.
The Choice is Yours
The choice is yours. Run your brain on bloated apps or find streamlined alternatives. Look for those alternatives on this blog. I will be launching products in the coming months to help anybody think through their business problem quickly and get right to the results.
As Warren Buffet said, “Business schools reward difficult complex behavior more than simple behavior, but simple behavior is more effective.” Be effective.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
You made some good points there. I did a search on the topic and hardly got any specific details on other sites, but then great to be here, really, thanks.
- Lucas