I often make myself porridge for breakfast. When I started, I never measured the ingredients and used to work out how many oats and how much water based on the level of water in the glass bowl. I achieved consistently good results.
Then, a couple of my family members asked if I’d make them porridge too.
Now, when it comes to cooking, I like to “wing it”. Generally, it works. However, with the additional quantities needed for my family members, I didn’t know how many oats, how much water or how long to cook them for.
Creativity and consistency don’t always go together.
After many mornings of either stodgy or runny porridge, I decided to acknowledge defeat. I went to the back of the oats packet, followed its instructions and produced the perfect porridge.
In some situations, our creativity can make things more complex than they need to be. Can you think of an example where that has happened to you?