You’ve heard the song. Honestly, you probably can't even say the phrase without hearing Michael Jackson’s youthful, high-pitched voice or that iconic Motown bassline kicking in. It's catchy. But there’s a reason it's easy as 123 abc became a global shorthand for simplicity that transcends just a catchy pop hook from 1970.
We live in a world that loves to overcomplicate things. Whether it's a 401(k) rollover, a sourdough starter, or learning a new programming language, humans have this weird tendency to make things dense. But when we look at how the brain actually acquires a new skill, the "123 ABC" method isn't just a lyric—it’s a neurological blueprint. It’s about building blocks. If you can’t master the fundamental units, the complex stuff will always feel like a blur.
The Psychology of Starting Small
Why does this phrase stick?
It’s about cognitive load. When you’re faced with a massive task, your prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for executive function—basically starts to smoke. Researchers like George Miller famously noted that the average person can only hold about seven items in their working memory. That was back in the fifties. Modern studies suggest it might even be fewer, maybe four or five.
By saying it's easy as 123 abc, we are essentially telling our brains to "chunk" information. Take the alphabet. You didn't learn all 26 letters at once by looking at a giant wall of text. You sang them. You grouped them. You started with A, B, and C.
✨ Don't miss: Why the White Cotton Shirt Woman Look Is Harder to Nail Than It Looks
Think about the last time you tried to learn something and failed. Maybe it was a fitness routine. You probably tried to do a 60-minute HIIT workout on day one. You felt like garbage, your knees hurt, and you quit. You ignored the "123" part. You skipped the foundations. If you’d spent the first week just walking ten minutes a day, you would have stayed in the game. It sounds almost too simple to work, but simplicity is actually the hardest thing to maintain in a culture obsessed with "hacks" and "optimization."
Motown, The Jackson 5, and the Power of Simple Messaging
Let’s talk about the song for a second. Released in early 1970, "ABC" was the second single by The Jackson 5. It knocked The Beatles' "Let It Be" off the top of the charts. That’s insane if you think about it. You had the most sophisticated rock band in history being dethroned by a group of kids singing about the alphabet.
But the songwriting team behind it, known as The Corporation (Berry Gordy, Alphonzo Mizell, Freddie Perren, and Deke Richards), were geniuses of the "123" approach. They didn't want a complex ballad. They wanted something that felt like a playground chant. They realized that the most resonant messages are the ones that feel familiar before you’ve even finished hearing them for the first time.
The lyrics equate love to schoolwork. "You went to school to learn, girl / Things you never, never knew before." It’s a metaphor that everyone understands. Even if you’re five years old, you get what an A or a B is. Even if you’re eighty, you remember sitting at those wooden desks. By using it's easy as 123 abc as the core hook, they tapped into a universal human experience. It's the ultimate "low barrier to entry" song.
Breaking Down the Barrier to Entry
In the business world, we call this "user experience" or UX. If an app is hard to use, people delete it. If a checkout process has ten steps, people abandon their carts.
The most successful companies in the world operate on the 123 ABC principle. Look at Google. It’s a white screen with a box. One. Two. Three. You type, you click, you get results. Contrast that with the search engines of the late 90s like Yahoo or Excite, which were cluttered with news, weather, horoscopes, and blinking ads. They forgot that the user just wanted to find a website.
Complexity is often a mask for a lack of clarity. When a "guru" or a consultant uses big words to explain a simple concept, they are usually trying to justify their fee. Real experts, like Richard Feynman, believed that if you couldn't explain something to a six-year-old, you didn't really understand it yourself. That is the essence of it's easy as 123 abc. It’s the Feynman Technique in a pop song.
Why We Fight Against Simplicity
If it's so easy, why don't we do it?
Kinda comes down to ego. We want to feel like our problems are unique and complex. Admitting that the solution to our weight gain is just "eat less, move more" (the 123) feels insulting. We want a complicated biological explanation involving cortisol levels and lectins because that gives us an excuse for why we haven't solved it yet.
Simplicity requires discipline. It’s much harder to write a short, punchy email than a long, rambling one. Mark Twain (or maybe it was Pascal, the internet is split on this) once apologized for writing a long letter because he didn't have the time to make it short.
Applying the 123 ABC Method to Your Life
So, how do you actually use this without it just being a cliché?
You have to identify your "A." Your "A" is the smallest possible action that gets you moving. If you want to write a book, "A" isn't writing a chapter. "A" is opening a Word document and typing one sentence. That's it.
It's easy as 123 abc works because it creates momentum. Once you’ve done 1, 2 feels inevitable. Once you’re at C, the rest of the alphabet doesn't look so scary.
Here is how you can strip back the noise:
First, audit your goals. Are you trying to do too much? Most people have a "To-Do" list that is twenty items long. That’s not a list; that’s a recipe for anxiety. Pick three. Just three. 1, 2, 3.
Second, look at your communication. Are you using "corporate speak" to sound smart? Stop. Use the simplest word possible. Instead of "utilize," use "use." Instead of "at this point in time," say "now." People will actually trust you more if you sound like a human.
Third, embrace the basics. In any field—whether it's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, coding, or baking—the masters are just people who are incredibly good at the fundamentals. They never stopped practicing their ABCs. They just do them faster and with more precision than everyone else.
The Nuance of "Easy"
Now, I'm not saying life is actually easy. That would be a lie.
There’s a difference between "simple" and "easy." Losing weight is simple (calories in vs. calories out), but it’s definitely not easy. Learning a language is simple (memorize words and grammar, then practice), but it’s a grind.
The phrase it's easy as 123 abc isn't meant to diminish the effort required. It’s meant to clarify the path. The path is clear. It’s the walking that’s hard. When we get overwhelmed, it's usually because we are looking at the mountain peak instead of our feet.
Actionable Next Steps
If you’re feeling overwhelmed right now, here is exactly how to get back to the 123 ABC mindset:
- The 2-Minute Rule: If a task takes less than two minutes, do it immediately. This is the "1" in your sequence. It clears the mental clutter.
- The Rule of Three: Every morning, write down the three things that would make the day a success. If you do nothing else, those three things get done.
- Speak it Out Loud: If you're struggling to understand a concept, try to explain it out loud to an imaginary child. If you stumble over your words, you've found the gap in your knowledge. Go back to the "ABC" of that specific topic.
- Simplify Your Environment: If your desk is a mess, your brain is a mess. Spend five minutes clearing your immediate space. It’s the physical equivalent of starting with a clean slate.
Stop looking for the secret sauce. Stop looking for the advanced course before you’ve finished the intro. Everything you want to achieve is just a series of small, manageable steps stacked on top of each other. It’s always been that way. It’s literally as simple as that.