SIMPCITT, We live in an age of overwhelming complexity. Our pockets contain supercomputers connecting us to a global nervous system of information, conflict, and social performance. We are expected to have nuanced opinions on geopolitics, to optimize our health down to our gut microbiome, to manage side-hustles, and to curate a personal brand—all while navigating the timeless complexities of love, friendship, and meaning.
In response to this cognitive load, our culture has bifurcated into two equally exhausting camps.
On one side, there is the lure of radical simplification. This is the world of life hacks, bullet-journaling for world domination, and gurus selling a “5-step system” to happiness. It promises to cut through the noise, but too often, it just ignores the beautiful, messy, and essential parts of being human. It’s a bland, nutritional paste for the soul—efficient, but deeply unsatisfying.
On the other side, there is performative complexity. This is the intellectual arms race of using jargon to sound smart, of manufacturing drama where none exists, and of believing that a problem isn’t “real” unless it’s dissected into a thousand unmanageable pieces. It’s the belief that cynicism is a sign of intelligence and that simplicity is a sign of stupidity.
There is a third way. A path that is neither reductive nor convoluted. I call it SIMPCITT.
It’s not a typo. It’s a mantra. It stands for: Seek the Simple Core in the Thick of It.
This is the philosophy of wading into the most tangled, chaotic, and complicated situations—be they in our work, our relationships, or our own minds—and having the courage, patience, and wisdom to find the one or two simple, fundamental truths at the center. It’s not about ignoring complexity; it’s about respecting it enough to find its heartbeat.
The Anatomy of a SIMPCITT Mindset
SIMPCITT is not a single action but a cultivated approach to life. It’s a lens through which to view the world. Here are its core tenets:
1. It Embraces “Productive Wandering”
The journey to a simple core is never a straight line. You must be willing to get lost in the thick of it. This means reading the opposing viewpoint, listening to the quietest person in the room, and sitting with your own confusion without immediately reaching for a quick-fix answer. The wander is not aimless; it is a deliberate exploration of the territory. The simple core is the treasure, but you have to map the entire island to find it.
2. It Distinguishes Between “Complicated” and “Complex”
This is a crucial distinction that SIMPCITT hinges on.
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A Complicated system has many parts, but they interact in a predictable, linear way. Building a car engine is complicated. With the right manual and expertise, you can disassemble and reassemble it. The path to a solution is knowable.
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A Complex system involves a web of interconnected, adaptive elements. Raising a child, managing a team, or navigating a marriage is complex. You can’t follow a manual because the “parts” (the child, the team members, your partner) are constantly changing and reacting to each other and the environment.
SIMP CITT is designed for complexity. It acknowledges that you can’t control a complex system, but you can influence it by finding and nurturing its simple core principles.
3. It Asks “What is This Really About?” – Relentlessly
We spend most of our lives dealing with surface-level symptoms. We argue about the dishes when the core issue is a feeling of being unheard. We stress about a project deadline when the core issue is a fear of failure. We consume endless news about political scandals, missing the core, simple battle of ideas beneath them.
The SIMPCITT practitioner is an archaeologist of problems. They gently brush away the dirt of drama, distraction, and detail to find the foundational artifact underneath. They ask “why” not once, but five times, until they hit bedrock.
SIMPCITT in Action: From the Personal to the Global
This isn’t just abstract philosophy. It’s a practical tool for living a more focused, effective, and peaceful life.
Scenario 1: The Overwhelmed Project (The Thick of It)
You’re leading a project at work. The team is large, the stakeholders have conflicting demands, the feature list is a mile long, and the timeline is unrealistic. The Slack channel is a torrent of anxiety, meetings are circular, and progress has stalled. You are deep in the thick of it.
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The Radical Simplifier says: “Let’s just build the first three features on the list and ignore everyone else.” This will cause rebellion and miss the point.
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The Performative Complexifier says: “We need another Gantt chart, a RACI matrix, and a deep-dive on every possible risk factor!” This adds layers of process, burying the work further.
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The SIMP CITT Leader says: “Stop. Let’s take a breath. What is the one, single problem this project exists to solve for our user? If we could only deliver one thing, what would make the biggest impact?” They facilitate a discussion that cuts through the noise. The simple core emerges: “We need to make it faster for a small business owner to generate an invoice.” Suddenly, every decision has a filter. Does this feature help that? No? Then it’s a distraction. The thick of it begins to clear.
Scenario 2: The Strained Relationship (The Thick of It)
You keep having the same fight with your partner. It starts about money, then morphs into a argument about chores, then about how someone’s mother was spoken to. It’s a tangled, emotional knot. You’re both hurt and feeling misunderstood.
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The Radical Simplifier says: “Let’s just split our finances 50/50 and use a chore chart.” This addresses the symptoms but leaves the wound festering.
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The Performative Complexifier says: “You’re just like your father! This is a pattern of behavior rooted in your attachment style!” This psychoanalyzes and escalates, adding new layers of complexity to the argument.
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The SIMP CITT Partner says: (After the heat has cooled) “I want to understand. When we talk about money, what does it make you feel? For me, it brings up a fear of instability. What’s the core feeling for you?” This gentle inquiry seeks the simple, vulnerable core. The answer might be, “It makes me feel like I’m not a team with you,” or “It makes me feel controlled.” That is the simple core. The fight was never about dollars and cents; it was about security and partnership. Now you have something real you can address together.
Scenario 3: The Endless News Cycle (The Thick of It)
You try to stay informed, but the 24/7 news cycle is a vortex of outrage, conflicting reports, and partisan shouting. It feels impossible to know what’s true or what really matters. You feel anxious, cynical, and powerless.
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The Radical Simplifier says: “I’m just going to tune it all out. It’s all corrupt anyway.” This leads to disengagement and a lack of civic awareness.
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The Performative Complexifier says: They dive into the rabbit hole, obsessing over every minor scandal and engaging in endless, fruitless debates online, becoming a source of the very noise they despise.
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The SIMP CITT Citizen says: They recognize the “thick of it” is designed to capture attention through emotion. They step back and ask: “What are the fundamental, slow-moving forces at play here? What are the core principles of a healthy society?” They might identify simple cores like “A society thrives on trust,” or “The foundation of democracy is informed, good-faith debate.” With these cores in mind, they can filter the news. Does this article build trust or destroy it? Does this pundit argue in good faith? If not, it’s noise. They can then focus their energy on sources and actions that reinforce the simple core principles they value.
How to Cultivate Your Inner SIMPCITT
This isn’t an innate talent; it’s a practice. Here’s how to build the muscle.
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Practice Mental Silence: The thick of it is loudest in our own heads. Start with 5-10 minutes of meditation or a quiet walk without headphones. Let the mental chatter settle. The simple core often announces itself in a whisper, not a shout.
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Journal with the “Five Whys”: Take a problem that’s bothering you. Write it down. Then ask “Why is this a problem?” Write the answer. Ask “Why” again of that answer. Repeat this process four or five times. The final answer is often your simple core.
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Borrow from Occam’s Razor: The philosophical principle that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. Don’t use it to ignore evidence, but as a prompt to ask: “Am I adding unnecessary layers to this? What is the most straightforward, core element here?”
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Seek the “First Principle”: Popularized by thinkers like Aristotle and Elon Musk, this is the act of breaking a situation down to its most basic, irreducible truths. What is known for certain? What is the fundamental purpose? Build your understanding back up from there.
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Curate Your Inputs: The thick of it is often fueled by an endless stream of low-value information. Be ruthless. Unfollow accounts that thrive on drama. Mute group chats that are just noise. Create space for the signal to come through.
The Gift of the Core
To live a SIMPCITT life is to trade the fatigue of reaction for the power of focus. It is to understand that the eye of a hurricane is calm not because it ignores the storm, but because it is the storm’s organizing center.
The world will never stop being complex. The thick of it will always be there, demanding your attention, your anxiety, and your energy. The radical promise of SIMPCITT is that you don’t have to give it. You can acknowledge the storm, respect its power, and then calmly, deliberately, work your way toward the quiet, steady heartbeat at its center.
When you find that simple core—in your work, your relationships, and your own mind—you find more than just a solution. You find clarity, purpose, and a profound sense of peace. You find what you were really looking for all along.