Keep It Simple, Stupid.
A framework for staying grounded in a world that never stops moving
We live in a world that rewards complexity.
More goals, more input, more “hustle.”
Everyone’s doing more making more money, chasing more growth, trying to fit more into every day.
But somewhere along the line, more became the default, not the goal.
Simplicity is a superpower. It’s what keeps ambition sustainable and turns a full life into a balanced one.
For me, four words capture that best:
Keep it simple, stupid.
It’s funny how often we overcomplicate the path forward. In work, fitness, money, or personal growth. But simplicity doesn’t mean doing less. It means doing what matters and doing it well.
When life gets noisy, the acronym K.I.S.S. reminds me to slow down, reset, and focus on what truly matters.
The K.I.S.S. Framework
I’ve come to see “keep it simple, stupid” as more than a saying.
K — Know What Matters
I — Ignore the Noise
S — Say No with Intention
S — Systemize Your Life
Together, they form a mindset that keeps life full but never chaotic.
K — Know What Matters
Simplicity starts with clarity.
If you don’t know what matters, everything feels urgent.
Most people spend their twenties chasing everything at once. The perfect job, the right partner, a certain number in their bank account, but few define what enough looks like.
“Know what matters” means building your life around a few clear pillars. The things that keep you steady when life gets busy. For me, it’s:
Fitness every day. Movement keeps me grounded. It’s not about the streak anymore; it’s about who I become by showing up.
A partner with shared values. Alignment matters more than intensity.
Financial freedom. Every dollar saved buys future time.
Adventure and exploration. Living with curiosity, not autopilot.
Impact through mentorship. Sharing what I learn and helping others grow.
These aren’t boxes to check, they’re guardrails. Once you know your pillars, decisions get easier, and progress feels lighter.
I — Ignore the Noise
Once you know what matters, protect it.
Focus is hard when everyone’s doing more. Launching businesses, buying expensive things, posting everything online. The internet turns ambition into competition. And if you’re not careful, you start measuring your life against someone else’s.
You can’t hear your own voice if you’re always tuned in to everyone else’s.
Ignoring the noise isn’t about disconnecting. It’s about filtering what gets in.
I realized most of what I consumed wasn’t helping me move forward. I’d scroll through success stories or business trends and feel behind instead of inspired.
Now I keep my inputs clean: mornings for training, journaling, reading, or writing. The things that create clarity, not comparison.
When you quiet the noise, you stop chasing and start moving at your own pace.
S — Say No with Intention
Knowing what matters is one thing. Protecting it is another.
Saying no is a skill. Every yes has a cost: time, focus, energy. Spend them carefully.
Earlier this year, I was offered a coaching job. It checked a lot of boxes on paper like leadership, mentorship, discipline, but it would’ve meant less time with my fiancée, slower financial progress, and less space for creative work.
Turning it down wasn’t easy, but it was right.
That no wasn’t a loss; it was alignment.
Simplicity isn’t about saying no to everything. It’s about saying no to what pulls you off course. Every no reinforces what you’re really working toward.
S — Systemize Your Life
Once you know your priorities, build systems to protect them.
Discipline gets you started. Systems keep you consistent.
They remove friction and make the right thing the easy thing.
I used to think structure killed spontaneity. It’s the opposite. Systems create freedom.
My mornings are my anchor: up at six, train, new language learning, and journal before work. My finances run on autopilot through Monarch and Fidelity. I live below my means, keep my space organized, and leave room for quiet moments like walks with my fiancée, time outdoors, or an evening to write without rushing.
It’s not about perfection. It’s about designing life so what matters most happens by default.
In Closing
Simplicity doesn’t shrink your life, it sharpens it.
When you focus on what matters, ignore the noise, say no with intention, and build systems that protect your priorities, the pace of life doesn’t slow down, but the chaos does.
Simplicity doesn’t remove ambition. It refines it. It creates space to actually enjoy what you’re building.
That’s the power of keep it simple, stupid.
Not as a rule, but as a reminder:
You don’t need to do more to become more.
You just need to stay focused on what matters most.
See you next week.
Powerful K.I.S.S. So simple that it is stupid! Thank You Ryan!
nice, you've redefined the K.I.S.S principle and i like your version more!