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Self-replicating mittens, by web-goddess
The simple option will usually be the more effective choice, but complexity can be truly wonderful when executed well.
First, let’s consider the benefits of simplifying.
Do you need every word in that 3-line sentence you just wrote, or all those bottles and do-dads on your bathroom and kitchen counters? And do you really, really need all those files and app shortcuts on your computer desktop?^1
Constantly visible items silently but persistently remind you of what they are for, what they can do, and they invite you to interact with them. Unless you have the memory of a senile goldfish, they don’t need to be in plain sight.
Consider the effect that the distraction potential — or lack thereof — of your visible digital and physical possessions can have on your ability to focus on just one thing at a time.
I will now graciously about-face and say that as long as you’re being deliberate, organised, and relatively uncluttered in the things on both your counter and desktops, do what you will. Personally I’m rocking a split personality with this, swinging between absolute sparseness on my desktop to a physical desk that regularly swallows that thing I’m looking for.
I’m working on uncovering the needs my clutter habit is trying to meet, and find other ways to meet those needs at a lower cost (see Non Violent Communication for more on this topic).
Here’s an example of simplicity that worked well for me this week in my plain text accounting journey:
I figured out how to track savings goals in Beancount (Fava) by creating a parallel BGT currency. It involves significantly more data entry, but the result is an automatic calculation between what’s already saved and my goal.
Nice! But unnecessary.
Yesterday I scrapped all that (yay for backups) and simply added the savings goal to the name of each virtual envelope account. Data entry is simpler, and it’s easy to compare what’s been set aside with the amount I’m aiming for.
One lesson to draw from this is just because you can, doesn’t mean you should, but there’s more to it than that. The hours spent setting up that complex system weren’t wasted even though it was scrapped the following day. There was value in the process!
Sometimes an added layer of complexity is just the ticket. Take these self-replicating mittens, for example.
Web-goddess had to plan the pattern carefully and knit it with even more care in order to fashion yarn into a functioning QR code. It was a brilliant way to share the pattern with others! No need for interaction; all she’d need to do would be to keep one or more hands visible and still-ish for periods of time while in public.
But there’s a sad side to the mitten story, I’m sorry to say.
The QR code for the pattern was generated in 2012 via Google’s URL shortener which will be deprecated some time in 2025, meaning that the code will soon stop working. If you make these mittens I recommend creating a pattern from a QR code of your own making, leading back to the original link (after checking back to see that the author hasn’t replaced it).
The lesson here is to choose carefully the vehicle for any complexity you add to your notes, and your life.
Keep these principles in mind as you choose apps and services to create and store your notes if you value true digital flexibility, freedom, and longevity. This means using plugins to enhance your workflow, but not structuring it to entirely rely upon them.
[^1] Mac has found a way to hide desktop items but the best solution in my opinion is to store them out of sight. Make the dock of your Mac auto-hide and delay the time it takes to pop up, while you’re at it.
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