Occam's Razor

I can thank Michael Brooks‘ 13 Things That Don’t Make Sense for reacquainting me with Occam’s Razor. This is a principle that whenever you need to find or choose a solution, the simplest one tends to be the winner.

It is reminiscent of the well-worn sales mantra KISS (an acronym from Keep It Simple, Stupid) and the impositions sales managers regularly place on their charges to talk in terms a 5-yr old would understand.

A general rule in selling is that the more complicated something is, the less likely it is to work. Of course, this concept may not be restricted to solely the sales arena. If you feel your solution is slipping over the edge towards strangling complexity, cut it up with Occam’s razor, using straplines (as found on wikipedia) such as:

“The simplest answer is usually the correct answer” and “The simplest explanation is usually the best”.