Are Your Goals Too High Maintenance?

Note: A version of the following will appear in the Friday, November 7 edition of the Estes Park News.

I’ve noticed a trend among both my 1:1 clients and my friends lately: overcomplicating things.

And not just a little bit. I’m talking Olympic-level mental gymnastics to make the simplest goals feel like a Rubik’s Cube.

Want to eat healthier? Suddenly you’re deep in a paleo subreddit, trying to recreate pancakes using almond flour, air, and magic. They take two hours, taste like damp cardboard, and leave you wondering if cavemen were actually just hangry all the time. (Newsflash: If your healthy eating plan requires an engineering degree, it’s not sustainable.)

Or maybe you decide it’s time to “get back into fitness.” You start strong with a plan: three days of strength training, two of cardio, one yoga, one rest day. Then you fall down a YouTube rabbit hole and suddenly you’re convinced you need a heart rate monitor, a new pair of shoes engineered for your “pronation pattern,” and a home gym setup that costs as much as your car. Two weeks later, the shoes are still in the box and you’re back to scrolling fitness reels while eating “trail mix” that’s really just a bag of M&Ms.

Or you tell yourself you’re finally going to write that book—but first you need to find the perfect writing program. And the perfect desk lamp. And the perfect playlist, candle scent, and moon phase. Next thing you know, you’ve built a cozy aesthetic around writing, but haven’t actually written anything.

I get it. We’ve been conditioned to think that if something isn’t complicated, it’s not serious. But more often than not, more complicated just means more excuses.

There’s a principle you’ve probably heard called Occam’s Razor. It basically says that the simplest explanation is usually the right one. In the same vein, the simplest solution is usually the best one. Or, as I like to put it: When in doubt, stop making it weird.

Complexity is often just a disguise for avoidance. The more complicated we make something, the longer we can delay actually doing it. It’s safer to plan, research, and tweak endlessly than it is to take action and risk failing—or, perhaps scarier yet, succeeding.

You don’t need a 12-step spreadsheet to eat better. Start by eating a vegetable at every meal. You don’t need a color-coded workout calendar with five different training splits. Go for a walk, then do a few squats. You don’t need to overhaul your whole life to feel more grounded. Pick one thing—like writing for five minutes in the morning—and do it consistently.

Because when you strip away all the excess, you actually make room for momentum. Simplicity doesn’t mean small. It means focused. It means doable. It means you might actually stick with it long enough to see the results you’ve been chasing through complexity.

So here’s your simple, no-frills plan of action:

1. Do the simplest thing that moves you toward your goal.

2. Evaluate what happens.

3. Adjust if needed.

4. Repeat.

That’s it. No biohacks, no elaborate systems, no new planner required.

You can paleo-pancake yourself into frustration, or you can make a real breakfast and move on with your day. The choice is yours. But if you’re tired of spinning your wheels, maybe it’s time to take your foot off the overcomplication pedal.

Simple works—if you let it.

Of course, simple doesn’t mean easy. (But neither is staying stuck.) A simple action plan just means doable. And doable is what gets you results.

If you’re ready for accountability to stop overcomplicating things and actually get traction on your goals, email me at chazz@higherelevationscoaching.com. I’m offering all new clients one month of complimentary coaching if you start before the end of the year. 

Let’s get you out of the maze and back on track.

Simplifying to amplify,

Chazz

recovering overcomplicator. aspiring minimalist. kick-ass motivator. coach.