Don’t be a Midwit
We all have a tendency to overcomplicate things that were at one point quite simple.
We’re being Midwits.
The concept of the Midwit is commonly expressed as an internet meme image showing an IQ bell curve. There is a blissfully ignorant looking guy on the low end, and a Zen Jedi master type on the high end. Then there’s the Midwit in the middle, struggling with gritted teeth and tears of suffering.
The meme text is dependent on the context but the format is usually that it’s the same thing on the low and the high end, with something different in the middle. The particular version I’m referencing has some very simple action or idea on either side, and something much more complex between the two.
The wisdom in this is clear: when you’re inexperienced or new to something, you start with the simplest actions. A beginner’s mind makes it easy to just get going.
As you learn and become exposed to more nuance and complexity, you overcomplicate things and get lost in the weeds as you see opportunities to apply what you’ve learned. Somehow it takes a lot more effort, but the results aren’t always better.
When you approach mastery, you often find yourself going back to a simpler way, maybe doing things more like when you first started, but with a new level of understanding and confidence.
I’m starting to notice this pattern everywhere. Especially in myself.
With this newsletter, I’ve changed the layout and switched platforms more times than I’d like to admit, when the only thing I really need to do is to keep writing and sending it out every weekend.
In design, as I learned more tools and techniques, it became tempting to start applying them everywhere in an effort to take my work to the next level. The truth is, it’s the fundamentals of the craft like hierarchy, proportion, and relationships between elements that really make a design sing. Anything else is just the cherry on top.
In photography, I’ve often caught myself obsessing over the camera or the focal length of the lens being used by one of the amazing photographers I admire. They probably weren’t giving those things a second thought when they took the shot. They’ve figured out that the only thing that matters is to do what you were doing when you started out: take the best pictures you can with the camera you have.
After reading a bunch of business books, it can be easy to fall into the trap of forming complex strategic plans, measuring every metric, and drawing up complicated operational procedures. In reality, only a few things matter. Is the company producing a good product? Is it profitable enough? Is it a good place to work? If yes, double down on the things that are working. If no, make changes to what isn’t working.
Sometimes it takes going through the Midwit zone to break through to simplicity again with new clarity. But most of the time, I probably spend too much time there, mistaking increasing complexity for progress in the craft.
Reminder to self: keep it simple. Don’t be a Midwit.