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PRODUCT.|PHILOSOPHY.|LIFE.

Navigating Complexity

As a kid, when we learnt how to multiply large numbers, like 371 x 874, without the aid of a calculator, we did it by writing down the intermediate calculations. 

We compute 4 x 1 in our heads, write down the answer, 4 x 7, write it down, 4 x 3, write it down and so on. 

Eventually, we would arrive at the final answer.

It is very complex to hold all of this intermediate information in our heads while also making additional computations and arrive at the answer without writing anything down. Only a negligibly small percent of the population can actually do it this way.

The rest of us deal with this complexity by writing down the answers to intermediate steps and working our way towards the final solution. 

When we encounter complexity in other areas of life - like creating a podcast from scratch, or executing a project spanning many teams of people, we don't do it all in one go. We do it by breaking it down into smaller components that are no longer complex, execute them and then put them together to get to the end. 

Navigating complexity is all about removing the complexity.

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