I found the following principles (listed below) on another blog today and couldn’t but help think of the KISS principle. I thought to myself, if the KISS principle had a list of principles they might be similar to the simplicity principles I found today. However I then found myself in a paradoxal moment where I realized that if the KISS principle had a list of principles then could it still be consider the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle in consideration of the principle itself. I mean a list isn’t really keeping it simple, now is it. Especially if you consider the specific list shown below. O well, still a good list of principles for keeping it simple, if in fact being simplistic involves keeping lists.

1. You need to put a high value on simplicity
   To get simplicity you have to want to get it. To want to get simplicity you have to put a high value on simplicity.
2. You must be determined to seek simplicity
   People quite like simplicity if it does not cost anything but are usually unwilling to invest resources in making something more simple.
3. You need to understand the matter very well
   If you do not seek to understand a situation or process, your efforts will be ‘simplistic’ rather than simple. Simplicity before understanding is worthless.
4. You need to design alternatives
   It is not a matter of designing the ‘one right way’. It is more a matter of designing alternatives and possibilities, and then selecting one of them.
5. You need to challenge and discard existing elements
   Everything needs to justify its continued existence. If you wish to retain something for the sake of tradition let that be a conscious decision.
6. You need to be prepared to start over again
   In the search for Simplicity, modify if you can – start afresh if you cannot.
7. You need to use concepts
   Concepts are the human mind’s way of simplifying the world around. Warning: If you do not use concepts, then you are working with detail.
8. You may need to break things down into smaller units
   The organization of a smaller unit is obviously simpler than the organization of a large unit. The smaller units are themselves organized to serve the larger purpose.
9. You need to be prepared to trade off other values for simplicity
   A system that seeks to be totally comprehensive may be very complex. You may need to trade off that comprehensiveness for simplicity.
10. You need to know for whose sake the simplicity is being designed
    A shift of complexity may mean that a system is made easier for the customer but much more complicated for the operator.