Nobody in the police department, including me, looked forward to the annual inspection.
It was a two-day event. The first day involved an early morning review of the troops. The police chief, along with a guest inspector, scrutinized every member of the police department.
A Lieutenant, holding a clipboard to record our scores, shadowed the Chief and guest inspector as they studied our uniforms, equipment, polished boots, and overall presentation.
City council members, other government officials, family, and friends were all invited to watch the early morning troop inspection. Afterward, there were speeches from the Mayor, Police Chief, and guest inspector.
Following the troop inspection, the Chief and guest inspector reviewed all of our patrol cars, police motorcycles, ATVs, and related equipment. Next came an indoor and outdoor facility inspection, that lasted the rest of that day and the day after.
Every division of the department was examined. Files were checked. The integrity of the evidence room and armory were reviewed. A white glove was used to find dust on surfaces.
Each year, police staff spent weeks preparing for the two-day inspection. Naturally, there were complaints and gripes. It was a lot of work.
But it taught us some valuable lessons.
Hack away at the inessentials
If you ever spent a day or two cleaning out your closet, then you might understand how we felt after the annual police department inspection was over.
Anticipating and doing the hard work of cleaning, organizing, and downsizing is never fun. But the sense of accomplishment, and the feeling of being unburdened, is wonderful.
The annual inspection wasn’t just about showing pride in our police department and profession. It was also about decluttering, refining our systems, and identifying ways to work smarter.
Every inspection uncovered waste, as well as ideas for how to simplify and improve our work.
Later in my career, when I became police chief, I continued the annual inspections. I recognized how important they were in helping us to simplify, declutter, and perform more efficiently.
There were many divisions within the police department, such as communications, administration, investigations, services, and operations. The annual inspection helped us identify the main goals and objectives of these divisions, as well as what was unnecessary and inessential.
It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials. — Bruce Lee
Eliminating the inessential in my work life carried over into my personal life. I reevaluated how I was spending my time.
This led to saying no to commitments that complicated my life. I also began decluttering my home and art studio, so that fewer things got in the way of my priorities.
I sold a bunch of paint boxes I didn’t need, donated art books that no longer interested me, and quit a few hobbies (like golf) that were preventing me from focusing on my passion for writing and artwork.
By simplifying my life as much as possible, I felt freer and unburdened.
Imagine what would happen if you did the same.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication
Our lives seem more complicated than ever.
In these busy days of social media, information overload, and fear of missing out, it’s easy to keep adding stuff and complexity to our lives. But it often leads to overload, unhappiness, and burnout.
For example, I have Instagram and Facebook accounts. I started them, begrudgingly, to increase exposure for my creative work.
A website isn’t enough these days. Even with decent SEO, nobody seems to directly visit websites any more. So one must leverage social media, where the audiences are.
But good Lord, what a pain in the rear. You have to post constantly, respond to comments, and reciprocate by following others. All of this takes time away from developing one’s artwork or creative craft.
I’m currently in the process of working on my second book, a collection of my best essays over the last two years.
I plan to self-publish on Amazon’s KDP, but first I have to learn all the formatting rules. And then I have to demystify the Canva app to create my book cover, which also must comply with specific KDP format rules. Ugh!
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. — Clare Boothe Luce
Yes, there are YouTube videos to help me, but they’re time-consuming.
To simplify, I’ll probably contract out the book formatting work to a digital wizard on Fiverr. While it’s important to keep up with new technology, it’s also smart to delegate difficult tasks. That way you can save precious time and focus on what you’re good at.
Try to find the simplest way to do things.
Keep your eye on a specific goal, and don’t let the complexities of technology slow you down. Farm out difficult tasks, or have someone more knowledgeable help you.
Simplify, simplify
When I first got into photography, a photographer friend of mine tried to convince me to purchase a Leica Q2 camera. He told me that I’d love its simplicity, fixed lens, and an uncomplicated menu.
The Leica Q2 makes it easy to shoot great pictures, and not waste your time experimenting with different lenses.
Unfortunately, the Leica Q2 is over $5K, and I had a string of unexpected expenses (house plumbing issues, my son’s truck repair, a big veterinarian bill, etc).
I bought a more affordable Sony A6600 camera, and a couple of prime lenses.
The Sony A6600 is a compact, beautiful camera, but its menus are deep and complicated. Unlike the Leica Q2, it’s not as easy to quickly adjust exposure, ISO, etc. I have to dive into the menus to do that.
Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify. — Henry David Thoreau, Walden and Other Writings
The Sony A6600 wasn’t simple. Yes, I’m learning the camera, and it will get easier. But once again, I’ve found that complicated technology isn’t fun.
I don’t need endless features in a camera. I just want to take some decent pictures.
This is why smartphone cameras are so popular. You just point, shoot, and immediately share your photos with friends or upload them to social media.
Yes, today’s expensive mirrorless cameras take “technically” better photos than smartphones. But you must divine the complicated camera menu, figure out how to transfer the photos to your phone or computer, and sometimes do post-processing with apps like Lightroom.
Also, most cameras are bigger and less convenient to carry than a smartphone. If future iPhones can improve bokeh and dynamic range, I might just say goodbye to my Sony.
The more I simplify the tools I use for creative work, the happier I seem to be.
A simple and unassuming manner of life
I used to work in color, but not so much these days.
My painting palette has shrunk down to the primaries, and white paint. Even then, I find myself painting more monochromatic pieces.
The same with my cartoons.
I like the contrast, simplicity, and elegance of black and white cartoons. Maybe because, as a boy, I fell in love with elaborately drawn political cartoons in newspapers, which were always in black and white.
I prefer shooting black and white photos, without the distraction of color. There’s just something elegant and timeless about the simplicity of monochromatic images.
Simplicity frees you.
I’ll take the simplicity and elegance of books, journals, and fountain pens any day over the complexity of Sony camera menus, social media algorithms, and Amazon KDP formatting hieroglyphics.
My wardrobe consists of solid colors and interchangeable pieces. When traveling, I bring quick-drying clothes that I can wash in a hotel sink. It reduces what I pack.
Possessions, outward success, publicity, luxury — to me these have always been contemptible. I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best for both the body and the mind. — Albert Einstein
I delete apps I don’t need on my iPhone, and try to do the same on my computer. I stripped away sidebars and other unnecessary distractions on my website.
Less is often more.
In every aspect of my life, I try to simplify and remove the inessential. What remains are the important things. Namely, my health, family, and creative work.
How about you? What complexities and unnecessary distractions are hindering you? What digital time-wasters, overcommitments, and energy-draining clutter are keeping you from your best life?
Start simplifying, and the world might be your oyster.
Before you go
I’m John P. Weiss. I draw cartoons and write elegant essays about life. To follow along, check out my Saturday Letter here.
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This post was previously published on Medium.com.
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Cartoon by John P. Weiss