I had an idea to build a toy for my son. I was on my second iteration of the plans and beginning to create a cut list for the shop. Seeing this — and the amount of work that would be involved — my wife asked, “Could you make it out of cardboard instead of wood?”

Hmm. Cardboard. Readily available. Easily to cut. Light. Recyclable.

It was a much better option.

Instead of spending a couple hours in the shop, I spent a half-hour at the kitchen table.

The end result was exactly what it needed to be.

When we find ourselves over-thinking, over-planning, and over-engineering, it can be helpful to refocus and aim for a minimum viable product. It doesn’t have to be cheap, sloppy, or lacking. It can be beautiful in its efficiency.

Too many great ideas die in the studio because — despite good intentions — they’ve been made unnecessarily complicated.

When we fight against over-engineering, we often have a better shot at bringing the things we’re making off the drawing board and into existence.