This guy creates relevant résumé highlighting his failures and gets 8 job offers in a month

This guy creates relevant rsum highlighting his failures and gets 8 job offers in a monthThis guy creates relevant rsum highlighting his failures and gets 8 job offers in a monthEveryone who has ever tried to find a job know, how important an outstanding resume is. HR agent will be able to remember you and your chances to get a job will increase. The Relevant Resume is a genius idea, which you should not ignore.Jeff Scardino, senior creative at Ogilvy Mather, found an ultimate way to stand out from a crowd. He has come out with Relevant Resume. Fill your resume with failures, badeanstalt references and mistakes. The idea is to be as honest as you can. Do you think it would rather harm your career than help it? Check out this videoA relevant experiment from Jeff Scardino on Vimeo.The relevant rsum is the first rsum that showcases your failures. To prove it works, I submitted two different applications for ten different job openings - one using my regular rsum and one using my releva nt rsum.Regular resumeembelishmentcoached referencesnonsence organizationsinflated skillsfake honorsRelevant resumejob failuresbad referencescollege mistakesnon skillsmissed honorsJeff Scardino believes, that it is a creative way to stand out of a crowd and to get a job eventually. He has applied for 10 positions with Relevant Resume. He actually has received 8 answers and 5 meeting requests. When applying with a regular resume, he has received 0 answers.The only question is Once this becomes a trend, will it make sense anymore? This kind of attitude is rare, and thats why HR agents are responding. It doesnt really make anyone a creative individual once they have read about this technique.This idea is simply brilliant, but our advice is Be creative in your own way. The whole world may write about your cool resume in the futuresource therelevantresume, businessinsider.comDo you like this story? Share it with your friends.Share Your Feedback or Ideas in the Comments

A surprising number of people flake on their friends to hang with their pets

A surprising number of people flake on their friends to hang with their petsA surprising number of people flake on their friends to hang with their petsJust in time for Take Your Pet To Work Day, comes a new Onepoll survey of 2,000 participants conducted on behalf of Fuzzy Pet Health about all the pet parents that make a habit out of lying to their bosses, panicking and taking off from work, all on behalf of their fur children.

10 Smart Moves to Make When Nothings Going Right in Your Life

10 Smart Moves to Make When Nothings Going Right in Your Life10 Smart Moves to Make When Nothings Going Right in Your LifeIn the Army, I taught an introductory course on what to do if you became a prisoner of war. Id start by saying that I hoped this would be the least relevant course the students ever took.Thats my hope here too- although the truth is, things fall apart in peoples lives all the time. Maybe its a relationship, a job, a business- something that makes up the bedrock youre accustomed to standing on.Tuesday, its there Wednesday its gone. Thursday, you still have to function.All of which leads us to todays lesson. When things arent going right, how do you keep moving forward? Here are 10 ideas.1. Nose Down, Do Your JobThe top federal prosecutor in Manhattan is named Preet Bhrara (Disclosure His brother is the CEO of my company). In a speech a couple of years ago, Preet suggested success involves emulating a line from the movie The DepartedBe the guy who does his job.When you dont know what else to do, thats a pretty good plan Strive to be the Steady Eddie that everyone else can count on while you figure out your next step.2. Look Out for Chances to Be Happy for Other PeopleAdmission time I get pitched all the time by people who are younger than I am and who are making tons of money. Sometimes I cant help but wonder Why welchesnt I the one with an internet startup at age 14?OK, the strict answer to that is that when I was 14, internet access cost a dollar a minute. The broader point is that youll be happier and learn mora if you make an effort simply to be happy for others successes- and maybe be willing to learn from them as well.3. Make Connections for OthersAn old friend of mine from school is looking for work. It turned out, another friend of mine from a completely different social circle has a connection at a company that my school friend might be perfect for. Will it work out? I dont know, but making the connection made me feel great.I think it s important to take these kinds of steps without looking for any kind of quid pro quo. Personally, I cant predict the future, but I think its unlikely Ill ever be looking for another full-time job again, so thats not my motivation here. But helping others in any way helps you take your mind off your own problems.4. Say Thank YouChances are you see someone every day who has a thankless job- literally thankless, as in, nobody ever thanks him or her for doing what they do. Maybe its the doorman or the bus conductor. If you cant think of someone who fits the bill, imagine a traffic cop giving parking tickets.Think about how much it means to that person on the rare occasion when someone actually says, thanks for what you do. Imagine how hell feel about you when youre that person5. Prune Your BelongingsI have the zeal of a convert on this one. If a physical thing- clothes, books, papers- doesnt give you joy, the best thing to do is to give it away. 90% of Americans have 2,000% more stuff than they need- or even want.(Hat tip, obviously, to the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo)6. Share Your KnowledgeNothing makes you feel better or more useful than simply sharing what you know with other people. Much like looking for the North Star when youre lost, look for chances to teach others when youre not sure what else to do with yourself.What do I know? Well, if you want to write a book, write an internet column with a million readers a month, or learn how to run a super-effective marketing campaign on Facebook, email me. (Also, I can teach someone to drive a stick shift and parallel park on a hill like nobodys business.)7. Visit SomeoneThe scarcest commodity any of us has isnt money its time. That means sharing your time with others is also your greatest gift. The truth is there are people for whom that gift is more precious than you can ever imagine.We named my baby daughter after my wifes 90-something grandmother, and one of the most joyous momen ts weve had was bringing her to meet her namesake in the nursing home.8. Say Im SorryYou dont need to go through life guilt-ridden, but there are things weve all done to hurt others- intentional or not- that we never got around to apologizing for. Taking that step is always a positive move.I woke up recently remembering a class in junior high. We had to write stories each week, and I turned a classmate into a recurring character long after it was clear she was not comfortable with the attention. I dont want to call her out here- even after all these years- but on the off chance she might read it, maybe shell remember. If so, Im sorry9. Say I Forgive YouRelated to the last one, of course, we all have people we need to forgive. Maybe its a family member, or a colleague, a friend- or even someone who doesnt know you well or even know what they did wrong.In my case, at that saatkorn school I was picked on by a group of bigger kids. Decades later, Im not sure if theyd even remember, but I forgive them. (Caveat Thats not the same thing as forgetting. You can forgive someone but still never trust them again.)10. Show Up (A.k.a., Go to the Funeral)There are moments when other people need you there, and while Im fortunate not to have had many occasions that fit the bill for this example, showing up at the funeral of someones loved ones is at the top of the list.My friend Griff taught me this lesson, when I went to his fathers wake a decade ago. To my mind- of course I would go. Thats what friends do, no matter what other ways their lives are tangled at the time. Still, to his credit, Griff has never forgotten, and Im glad it demonstrated how much I valued our friendship.More From Inc.5 Ways to Navigate When Stuff Goes Painfully WrongEven the Worst Mistake Can Be Forgiven- If You Do This10 Mistakes Smart People Never Make TwicePhoto of man looking frustrated courtesy of Shutterstock.

This is the surprising benefit of going for that third cup of coffee

This is the surprising benefit of going for that third cup of coffeeThis is the surprising benefit of going for that third cup of coffeeThat first cup of coffee in the morning is absolutely needed to wake you up. The second cup of coffee a bit later helps to keep up your momentum. The third cup is when you start to feel a bit guilty and doubt your sense of self. But good news You dont have to have that third cup existential crisis anymora. It turns out going for that third cup may just help you fend off heart disease. According to a new studypublished intheJournal of the American College of Cardiology, drinking three cups of coffee a day or tea could lower the risk of abnormal heart rhythms.Researchers from Alfred Hospital and Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Australia analyzed 11 major international studies involving 360,000 people and found caffeine had no effect on ventricular arrhythmias.There is a public perception, often based on anecdotal experience, that caffeine is a co mmon acute trigger for heart rhythm problems, said Dr. Peter Kistler, director of electrophysiology at Alfred hospital and Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. Our extensive review of the medical literature suggests this is not the case.Three cups for the winThe research team found that caffeine intake of 300 milligrams (about three cups) a day may be safe for patients with arrhythmias.Caffeinated beverages such ascoffeeandteamay have long term anti-arrhythmic properties mediated by antioxidant effects and antagonism of adenosine, Kistler said. In numerous population-based studies, patients who regularly consume coffee and tea at moderate levels have a lower lifetime risk of developing heart rhythm problems and possibly improved survival.However, do not now think that the more coffee you drink the less chance you have of developing heart disease. Drinking eight coffees a day is not the takeaway from this.Laurence Sperling, cardiologist at Emory Heart Vascular Center, told The Atlant a Journal-Constitution, This is a good review. Although it does not support the use of caffeine as anti-arrhythmic, it does temper the concerns for the usual population. I think its reasonable to drink a serving or several servings of coffee or tea as there appears to be some potential benefits. Whether thats related to the caffeine is unclear.So go for that third cup of coffee and be sure to stick to this schedule to get the full productivity effects.

The 5-Minute Rule for Resume Cover

The 5-Minute Rule for Resume Cover Working in construction usually entails having the ability to use a wide number of tools and equipment whilst also having knowledge numerous construction procedures. Construction and labor jobs need hands-on experience utilizing specific instruments and techniques to acquire the job finished. Again, use ur cover letter templates and make sure to prevent easy mistakes at the very start of your letter, because you dont want employers to quit reading or get rid of interest till they reach your major points. Our cover letter sample and writing tips below can help you write one that is going to get you the job that youve always desired. Reading through our sample student and internship cover letters will provide you with a clearer idea of the way to compose your own. If you are working to write one, heres a sample letter that you may use as a guide. The next thing to do is to show you have the work ethic, savvy, and enthusiasm it requires to compose a truly tailored cover letter. You are going to have an application you can have confidence in in no moment. By building a template, in regards to crafting the (nearly) inevitable next job program, you are going to be saving yourself a lot of time and stress. For instance, a cover letter is a fantastic place to speak about a career shift or maybe to explain a protracted gap in employment. Your cover letter is a chance to sell yourself as the very best fit for the position. Find more information about the differences between a resume and a cover letter to be certain you get started writing your cover letter with the right strategy. You CANNOT use exactly the saatkorn exact exact same cover letter to apply for each job. Any business can truly gain from such experience. For work in real estate, you will need to highlight your eligibility to market to prospective home owners along with your drive to reach sales quotas. When youre asking for a job which has been posted by a busin ess thats hiring, you will use the application letter style. If you are able to get your cover letter into the hands of a hiring manager, youll have far better success. Your business is unique to the business and is growing daily. One of the things which helps an office manager succeed is the capacity to remain calm under pressure. New Questions About Resume Cover A Resume Cover Letter Format has an extremely significant role in bringing you the very best employment prospect. You may feel like the document is unnecessary since youre already providing a resume with lots of information. Your document should be readable, but you dont want it to look like a child typed this up. Dont forget, the trick to a great cover letter is personalization. It is to keep it short and easy to read. You want to make the impression that you have all of the necessary attributes for that position. You will have to tischset yourself aside from the remainder of the area. Job seekers deserve to com e across decent content quickly. Dropping off your resume for work in person creates a statement. Never assume that you didnt get the job until youre extended a definitive answer. Get ready for a very long job hunt. If you struggle to earn everything fit on a single page its possible to adjust the margins and font size. Before you begin, it can be useful to review some cover letter samples, just so youve got a visual of how everything fits on the webpage. A proper font is one which is common and legible. Pick the template that works for your need and utilize it as your cover letter.

A Startling Fact about Design Resume Template Uncovered

A Startling Fact about Design Resume Template Uncovered Downloading the readymade designer Resume Templates will supply you privilege of getting the very best opportunity of expressing yurself in the most effective way. Its content-packed layout is excellent for engaging employers with many facts, from experience to education. All our resumes are a breeze to edit and theyre also able to be customized to your liking. You may quit trying to find the best resume vorlages for Word at the moment. The download file comprises the resume template in addition to a cover letter. The Illustrator file makes the the majority of colour to assist its simplicity. Its high-quality PSD file is totally customizable. What Is So Fascinating About Design Resume Template? Based on the kind of application process youre addressing, it could be appropriate to include samples of your work in your CV. When youre asking for a job which relies on the strengths of the person, you require a resume templat e that you may inject a little more personality into to make it pop. For any type of job program, you must ensure a resume whether its online or offline. Deciding the style you may want to use is is going to be based on the fleck youre applying for. You may find you would like to use one specific style for a single position but another style for another sort of job. With the appropriate format, you can highlight the details which are mostly expected for the specific job. Whether its a picture of yourself or any other graphic it isnt appropriate. When you begin with a creative resume template, you merely have to drop in your details to rapidly finish the procedure. The One Thing to Do for Design Resume Template Developing a standout CV is a significant portion of the work search. Templates also show you exactly what you have to put in your CV, such as what information to put in each individual section, and what type of language to use. For instance, a template can demonstr ate how to lay out your CV. It is designed by A unique and modern resume template with experience timeline as well as education timeline. What You Should Do to Find Out About Design Resume Template Before Youre Left Behind Once you have decided on your perfect resume template from our selection, follow our totally free expert guidance about ways to craft the ideal modern resume. There are lots of free resume templates readily available on the web but sometimes it can be quite challenging to choose the best one that is most suited to you. If you opt to try out one of our completely free creative templates, we have a couple strategies to create your work search as fruitful as possible. Our creative templates let you stick out from the crowd. Design Resume Template - the Story Graphic designing is an undertaking of creativity, meaning that it requires considerably more than just your time. A Motion graphic designer resume needs to include things like an appropriate graphic des igner job description and the above template can help you to acquire the most appropriate description according to your requirement. Its possible for you to pick from a group of premium designs carefully crafted to publicize your potential. Each one of our creative style templates offer you a perfectly balanced mixture of personality, professionalism and some style.

3 Frustrating Boss Behaviors (and How to Deal)

3 Frustrating Boss Behaviors (and How to Deal)3 Frustrating Boss Behaviors (and How to Deal)Its the workplace equivalent of leaving the cap off the toothpaste, resting the toilet seat in undesirable repose, or placing an empty milk jug back in the fridge. Yep, he or she is driving you crazy, and you dont know if you can take it anymore. But its not a spouse, partener, or roommate were talking about- its your manager. And its not the cap on the toothpaste. Its any number of minor to major workplace annoyances that create eye roll-worthy opportunities in your day. Often, theyll get you thinking that its time to look for a new job. But before you do, I urge you to reconsider and learn to deal with the frustrations head on. The reality is that all managers have flaws. They will all commit some manner of annoyance against you. But the good news is, when you know what your managers flaws are, you can deal with them. Here are three very common ways your manager might be pushing your buttons , and how to push back. 1. Changing His Mind- ConstantlyIts inevitable that things will change in the course of certain projects, sales activity, or client programs. Thats a fact of business life.However, if your anfhrer cant seem to make a decision that sticks and is constantly changing course, that can be downright infuriating. Believe me, Ive had my share of these managers, and I know how frustrating it is to see good work thats simply wasted by inefficient decision-making.Though you may not think you can have an impact here, I believe you can. Recently, I spoke with a client who seemed to be taking orders from his manager, then getting frustrated when the manager vacillated. I noticed he wasnt asking any questions, getting clarity, or pushing back when the orders were being rolled out. My advice to him- and to you? When youre getting a new assignment from a boss who is prone to flip-flopping, try getting more clarity before you launch into action. For instance, ask about the big picture, the long-term goal, and how your actions will support that. Say theres an idea proposed to ramp up your social media presence to create more customer engagement. Before running off to post, tweet, and set up a profile on every new social platform out there, stop and ask some questions. When you say ramp up, tell me exactly what you mean by that. How will this support our current business development strategy? What results are we looking for with this initiative?How will we measure the results of this initiative when all is said and done?By helping your manager drill down to the drivers of a decision, you may also help him become clearer about why hes doing it. In the process, he may realize hes proposed a solution that doesnt fix a problem (or fix it most effectively), or have some other insight. If you can, influence the decisions about what comes next, and youll lessen the chance of a flip-flop strategy. 2. Equating Face Time With ResultsUnless your physical job is to be in one place to, say, manage a production machine or escort guests through a facility, its likely youll have some degree of latitude in when and where you work. That said, many managers, even if they support this flexibility, equate face time with productivity. After all, its easy to quantify the hours you work- and it can be more difficult to measure performance, results, or contribution. I once who had a manger who told me, If youre not in the office, youre not working. Seriously. And my work did not require that I had to be in one place. If youre in a situation where you need some flexibility or out-of-office time to get your job done, but your manager seems obsessed with face time rather than results, its important to have a conversation about it. First, youll want to assure him or her that you understand your objectives and you intend to deliver on those results. Then, propose a structure for how you work best, and how you would like to work moving forward- whether thats leavi ng at 4 every day then working a few more hours at home, or one day a week of work-from-home time. If you have a boss whos skeptical, its up to you to amp up the communication frequency and assure her that she can trust your judgment and commitment in getting work done, no matter your level of cubicle time. Be especially attentive to your boss needs during this time. Flag her emails and texts and answer them. Or, let her know you have the message and youll respond by a certain time if its not urgent. Then, review your working schedule during your regular conversations, validating that youre spot-on in achieving your results. In essence, demonstrate that you can manage getting your work done (and done well), even if youre not putting in the official face time.3. Keeping Your Job Objectives a SecretPick up any survey on employee feedback, and youll see the distinct link between high employee engagement and clear job expectations. The more you know about what you should be doing, why y oure doing it, and how youll be measured, the more likely you are to be satisfied in your job. Sounds simple, right? But you cant believe how often I hear, Well, I dont really have a job description. You may find that managers are often much better on the performance correction process than they are in the setting expectations for the job process. So, if you dont have a good job description, goals, and a system for how youll be measured, you need to change that. (And this is a career-management skill, not just a corrective step to take with one manager.) So, if you havent already, ask your manager for the goals and objectives specific to your job, along with the timelines for those deliverables. If you have, but still dont have the document, write up your understanding and have your boss review it. Then, make it a point to have regular conversations with your manager that include status updates, feedback gathering, and progress toward your objectives (i.e., are these still the right goals, and are you on the right track?). It can feel awkward or tedious to put these on the calendar, but remember that it means youll always know where you stand (and that you wont have any surprises come performance review season). Finally, remember that a big part of your job is making your boss successful. To that end, you should have a clear understanding of your boss goals, so that you can see how your job responsibilities align to the bigger picture of the department. Its another way of knowing if youre on track.When you know what youre responsible for, and how you will be measured, youre going to be more satisfied and less frustrated in your job. And without a doubt, youre going to be more successful as well. Sure, managers can be difficult. All are imperfect. But instead of being frustrated or tempted to cut and run, try managing through some of these tribulations. Itll help your build your career skills and get more satisfaction in the job you do have.Photo of people work ing courtesy of Shutterstock.

Infographic The 10 Scariest Job Seeker Mistakes - FlexJobs

Infographic The 10 Scariest Job Seeker Mistakes - FlexJobsInfographic The 10 Scariest Job Seeker Mistakes Forget ghouls, goblins, and ghosts- job searching can be frightfully scary Luckily we have this terrifying top ten list from Careerleaf, which details the 10 Scariest Job Seeker Mistakes and how to avoid them.

Einstein, Aristotle, and Ockham on how real geniuses solve problems

Einstein, Aristotle, and Ockham on how real geniuses solve problemsEinstein, Aristotle, and Ockham on how real geniuses solve problemsBorn in late 1287, in the small village of Ockham in England, William of Ockham, a Franciscan friar and scholastic philosopzu sich, welchesnt one to shy away from airing his radical views.The controversial figure spent much of his life on the run. In part for charges of heresy. And ironically, in part for brandishing Pope John XXII as a heretic.But William of Ockhams legacy stretches much further than dramatic movie-like scenes. That is, the plot of a devout monk who rebukes the churchs lavish lifestyle and advocates for Christ-like abject poverty, flees from capture on horseback under cover of darkness and takes refuge under the Holy Roman Emperor in Italy. 1Ockhams controversial views have profoundly influenced vermodern philosophy, science, theology and logic, and many great thinkers who have shaped history.And as the old adage goes, great minds thi nk alike.And so, it is no coincidence that William of Ockham shared similar views with real geniuses like Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Einstein, Newton, Galileo, Da Vinci and Hemingway.There is, however, one strikingly similar idea that they all share in common.Its an idea about problems- specifically, how to solve difficult problems in life and work, or as Aristotle writes in Posterior AnalyticsWe may assume the superiority ceteris paribus of the demonstration which derives from fewer postulates or hypotheses. (Aristotle, Posterior Analytics, p. 150.)Dont worry. If you couldnt comprehend Aristotles words, keep reading to untangle them.The obvious life saverBrevity is the soul of wit - William ShakespeareIn 2001, an adorable, bubbly, happy 18-month-old child, Josie King, wandered unsupervised into the bathroom of a brand new family home in Baltimore. 2In her usual playful curiosity, Josie leaned over the bathtub, stretched her little fingers to twist a knob and dipped her tiny toes i nto the gust of running water filling the bathtub.Within a few seconds, Josie, the last born child of fur children, unleashed a siren like loud scream. Her panicked parents rushed into the bathroom. A sorrowful 911 call was answered.Josie was briskly rushed to the John Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. The 150 degree scorching water in the bathtub caused second degree burns and tore apart over 60% of the skin on Josies body.Josie survived the accident. But, there was a major problem.Josie- now covered with sterile dressings and hooked up to tube machines in the hospital- appeared to struggle with thirst.The medical staff paid no mind to this detail. But, they had inserted a thin tube, called the catheter, into Josies veins.Josies desert-like craving for water worsened. Ms.King, Josies mother, sounded the alarm. The nurses and doctors turned a blind eye. They were caught up in a chess game of bureaucracy.Josies eyes now appear to roll back into her head. Ms. King waves a signal of dist ress. Josie wrestles with a cardiac arrest. Josies heart stops beating. Josie dies in the arms of her mother.Who or what caused Josies death? The hot bathtub water? The dehydration?The answer an infection caused by the catheter inserted into her veins. The hospital was at fault. And Josie wasnt a lone victim.According to the C.D.C, an estimated 31,000 people die each year from bloodstream infections contracted in a similar fashion.The catheter infection problem was an epidemic across hospitals. It killed more people than breast or prostate cancer in a given year.Notably at the time, the infection rates after a catheter insertion were a whooping 11 per 1,000 patients at the John Hopkins Hospital- which ranked within the bottom 10 percent of hospitals in the USA. 3There were no solutions to this headache of a problem, and so, hospitals waved a white flag, and accepted the infections as the norm. Little girls like Josie would continue to die in an unceremonious manner.But, Dr. Peter Pr onovost, an intensive care specialist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, had had enough of the high mortality. He lamented, This can be stopped. Hospital infections arent like a disease theres no cure for.Pronovost took the bull by the horns and proposed a new solution to solve the infection problem.Unlike preceding complex solutions that failed to save the Josies of the world, Pronovost took a peculiar route.His solution was awfully simple a plain old checklist.The checklist included instructions like wash your hands with soap before inserting the catheter, cover the patients with sterile drapes, make sure that doctors and nurses wear gloves, hats, masks and gowns. These were simple, obvious directions that virtually all medical professionals had known.In what was known as the Keynote Initiative, Pronovost put his elementary checklist to the test in hospitals resided in the city of Michigan. 4Pronovost declared. Doctors and nurses hemmed and hawed. Executives scoffed.After the first three months of hospitals implementing the checklist, the central line infection rate in Michigans hospitals magnificently dropped by sixty-six percent- outperforming over 90 percent of ICUs across the USA.Over the span of an eighteen month period, Pronovosts checklist saved more than 1,500 lives and an estimated $175 million in health care costs. (SourceThe Checklist Manifesto How to Get Things Right)Pronovost had stumbled upon a supreme philosophy shared by many of the greatest minds in the history of mankind.That philosophy exhorts the idea that difficult problems are best solved by the fruchtwein simple solution.And this idea is best encapsulated by auseful heuristic. Its called the Occams Razor.The power of Occams RazorSimplicity Is Complexity Resolved - Constantin BrancusiAfter several close shaves and before his passing away in 1347, Ockham expressed strong sentiments based on the principle of parsimony, which says, dont multiply entities beyond necessity.In other words, given a c hoice between a simple or a complex solution, the former is often the correct answer to a given problem.Ockhams minimalist philosophy was later formalized as theOccams Razor- although he didnt invent the underlying logic of simplicity.The termrazoris a befitting expression of the process of simplifying or shaving off the inessential details of a proposed solution.Following Ockhams death, several prominent figures throughout history have adopted Occams Razor to solve difficult problems that would later revolutionise the way we think and live today.In the beginning of Book III of Principia Mathematica (1687), Sir Isaac Newton imports a version of Occams Razor as one of his three Rules of Reasoning in PhilosophyRule I We are to admit no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearances.Newton elaborates his point by explaining thatNature is pleased with simplicity, and affects not the pomp of superfluous causes. 5Then, in 1963, Einstei n wrote thatThe grand aim of all scienceis to cover the greatest possible number of empirical facts by logical deductions from the smallest possible number of hypotheses or axioms. 6Einsteins iconic simple equation, E=MC2, is a poster child example of how to solve difficult problems using Occams Razor.Employing only two variables and one constant, Einstein solved the ancient complex problem of the relationship between matter and energy.The invisible hand of Occams Razor has influenced virtually all aspects of modern breakthroughs.Whether its the minimalist designs of Frank Lloyd Wrights modern homes or Steve Jobs iPhone and Mac computers, Adam Smiths Wealth of Nations or Darwins Natural Selection, Watsons DNA discovery or Hemingways Iceberg theory, Occams Razor has been an invaluable tool for solving a wide spectrum of complex problems across a plethora of disciplines.But the use of Occams Razor isnt limited to once in a generation geniuses. It can also be adopted as a weapon to sol ve difficult problems in everyday life.Keep it simple, stupidLife is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. ? ConfuciusThere appears to be a puzzling journey that we travel through, from simplicity to complexity.First, we try our hands on a simple solution. In this case, lets say we attempt to sleep for eight hours each night in order to improve our health.Then, when we struggle tofollow through on our plans, we throw the simple solution out with the bathwater and just like treasure-seeking pirates, hunt for a more complex quick fix.And of course, at this point, the wolf licking advertising companies, fitness trainers and Instagram celebrities, begin to salivate at the prospect of devouring the monetary contents of our wallet in exchange for their magic pill promises to solve said health problems.We oblige them. And feed the mouth of the barely regulated USD 133.1 billion supplement industry and USD 87.23 billion fitness club outfits. 7But, what happens when they fai l to deliver on their tantalizing promises? We throw ourselves into a frenzy in search of the next best complex solution complicated fitness apps, fat burning supplements, robotic ab machines, feather-light running shoes, eight meals a day diet plans and smart watches.Then predictably those also go downhill. And the Sherlock Holmes-like search for the mysterious solution continues.This vicious cycle can be sidestepped through perseverance with a simple solution.For example, for years I scratched my head searching for the best way to improve my writing and build an audience.I devoured volumes of articles online, invested in countless training courses and sheepishly followed expert advice. But, I wasnt making visible headway. Plus, my bank account had become chummy with Mr. Overdraft. And so, out of pure frustration, I quit my colonial quest for a perfect solution.As it turns out, whats worked best for me so far is to write, publish and share at least one article each week. Simples.It s not interesting. Its not sexy. But, it works. And likewise, the simple solutionTo problems with weight lossis toeat healthy mealsconsisting of fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly, drink plenty of water andsleep at least 8 hours a day.To problems with relationshipsis toexpress gratitudeoften, listen more than you speak and set aside time for intimacy.To problems with personal financesis to save money for an emergency fund, minimize expenses, invest in assets and stick to a fixed budget.To problems with productivityis tobuild the habit of finishing,focus on the most important things early in the dayandcreate a distraction free environment.To problems with leadershipis topractice empathy, celebrate small achievements and reinforce the vision through leading by example.A common error that sways us to fall into the deep pothole of complexity, is the naive assumption that simplicity is an easy feat to pull off.But, as the late Steve Jobs expressedSimple can be harder than complex you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But its worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains. (Interview with Wired, 1996)Sticking with simple solutions through thick and thin, can often be terribly strenuous. But, the fruitful results are always worth the wait.The takeawayThe irony, like many things in life, is that solutions to our difficult problems have been right under our noses all along.Throughout history, the greatest minds- from Aristotle to William of Ockham to Einstein- have stumbled upon the unmistakable truths of the Occams Razor. That is, the simplest solution to any given problem is the best one.But, this flies in the face of mainstream beliefs that complex solutions are harder to implement and better for problem-solving.In reality, complexity is the easy way out. And simplicity is hard work- and the most powerful tool for solving difficult problems.Simplicity is an art. A thing of beauty. And in the words of the r eal genius, Leonardo Da VinciSimplicity is the ultimate sophistication.Mayo Oshin writes atMayoOshin.Com, where he shares the best practical ideas based on proven science and the habits of highly successful people for stress-free productivity and improved mental performance. To get these strategies to stop procrastinating, get more things by doing less and improve your focus,join his free weekly newsletter.A version of thisarticleoriginally appeared atmayooshin.comasEinstein, Aristotle and Ockham on How Real Geniuses Solve Difficult Problems.FootnotesCourtenay, William J., 1999. The Academic and Intellectual Worlds of Ockham. In Spade 1999, Chap. 1 (pp. 1730).Josies Storyby Sorrel King.Dr. Pronovostbewerberinterviewwith The New York Times.Pronovost et al (2006).An Intervention to Decrease Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections in the ICU. The New England journal of medicine. 355. 2725-32. 10.1056/NEJMoa061115.Newton, I. 1999. The Principia Mathematical Principles of Natural Philoso phy A New Translation by I. Bernard Cohen and Anne Whitman. Berkeley University of California Press.Einstein, A. 1954. Ideas and Opinions. New York Crown.Fitness club industrysizeand Supplement Industrysize.Some food for thoughtHow do we define simplicity? And how simple is simple enough?