One of my favorite TV shows is Scrubs. I quote it a ton with my brother, and regularly rewatch the entire series (yes, even the Med School season).

But there’s one episode that has had an outsized effect on me. An episode I think about all. the. time.

Occam’s Razor

In “My Own Worst Enemy,” the team is having trouble diagnosing a patient. He’s exhibiting signs of Lyme Disease, but they can’t find the most obvious proof he’d have it: a tick bite.

When every other test comes back negative, Dr. Cox comes to a realization. He shaves the patient’s head, which reveals a tick bite.

Dr. Cox mentions “Occam’s razor,” which is often paraphrased as:

The simplest solution is often the correct one.

I’ve thought about Occam’s razor pretty much weekly since I watched that episode 18 years ago.

But there’s more to Occam’s razor.

I’m an Overthinker

It actually encourages problem solvers to seek explanations constructed with the smallest possible set of elements.

Maybe this principle has resonated with me because I’m naturally an overthinker.

I was a web developer from the age of 14, and one of my hardest habits to break is the feeling that I need a complicated, custom, controllable system.

As a result, when I start something new — kicking off a new project, landing a new client, creating a new offer — I always wonder if I should create some new process and use a new tool.

You wouldn’t believe how much time I’ve wasted on this. I know, because I time track.

I was onboarding a new coaching client recently, and I was seeking the perfect solution for all of our needs. I’m helping them put in a system for easy content creation, and thought I needed trackers, and status boards, and the whole nine yards.

Then I heard Dr. Cox say, “Occam’s razor.”

I realized all we needed was a shared Google Doc.

And you know what? It’s working perfectly.

The smallest possible set of elements. The simplest solution.

Your business might feel complicated. It doesn’t have to be.