What does it mean that routine simplification?

Simpler routines automate faster than complex ones.

Example: Elena wanted to build a nightly skincare habit. Her routine had eleven steps: double cleanse, toner, essence, serum, eye cream, moisturizer, face oil, lip mask, retinol on alternating nights, SPF on mornings only, and a weekly exfoliant she could never remember to schedule. She kept a printed checklist on her bathroom mirror, but on tired evenings she would skip steps, feel guilty about the incomplete routine, and eventually abandon the whole sequence. When she stripped the routine to three steps — cleanser, moisturizer, retinol — the habit locked in within three weeks. The eleven-step version was better skincare. The three-step version was the only skincare that actually happened.

Try this: Take the routine you defined and script-tested in L-1025. List every step on a separate line. Now mark each step as either essential (the routine would not deliver its core reward without it) or optional (improves the routine but is not strictly necessary). Cross out every optional step. Rewrite the routine using only the essential steps. Time yourself performing this simplified version. If it takes more than five minutes, look for one more step to eliminate. Practice the simplified version for one week before considering whether to add anything back.