“Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less” by Leidy Klotz explores the idea that in many aspects of life, subtraction or simplification can be a more effective and sustainable approach than addition. Here are the key takeaways from the book:
- The Bias for Addition: Klotz argues that there is a cultural bias towards adding more, whether it’s features in products, activities in our lives, or elements in systems. This bias can lead to inefficiency and complexity.
- The Power of Subtraction: Subtracting or simplifying can often lead to better outcomes. Klotz provides various examples, such as architecture, design, and problem-solving, where subtracting elements improved the result.
- Problem of Over-Design: Over-designing or adding unnecessary elements can lead to inefficiency, waste, and negative consequences. Klotz advocates for a more thoughtful approach to design and decision-making.
- The Subtracting Habit: Klotz suggests cultivating a habit of subtracting. This involves regularly questioning whether elements can be removed from a design or a system to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
- Loss Aversion: Klotz discusses the psychological phenomenon of loss aversion, which makes people reluctant to give up what they have, even if it’s not serving them well. Overcoming this bias is crucial for embracing subtraction.
- Sustainability: The book highlights how subtraction can play a significant role in sustainability. By reducing consumption and waste, subtraction contributes to environmental and resource conservation.
- Personal Life: Klotz applies the concept of subtraction to personal life. Simplifying schedules, possessions, and commitments can lead to a more fulfilling and balanced life.
- Creativity and Innovation: Subtraction can stimulate creativity and innovation by encouraging individuals to find more elegant and efficient solutions to problems.
- Practical Strategies: The book provides practical strategies for implementing subtraction in various aspects of life, from design projects to decision-making processes.
- Mindful Evaluation: Regularly evaluating what can be subtracted or simplified in different areas of life is essential to making subtraction a habit and enjoying its benefits.
“Subtract” encourages readers to reevaluate the common instinct to add more and embrace subtraction as a powerful tool for improving efficiency, sustainability, and overall quality of life. It offers a fresh perspective on design, decision-making, and problem-solving, emphasizing that less can often be more.
The software engineers (and Ben) are not the only ones in the busy trap. A U.S. Army War College report finds that army officers have been caught. The time famine is so strong that it forces these upstanding leaders to be dishonest.
In the most galling example from the report, officers have 256 available days in which to fit 297 days of mandatory activities. Yes, you read that right. It is literally impossible for the officers to do all that is required of them. Their decision is not whether to cut corners, it’s which corners to cut.
As the Army War College report observes, “The Army resembles a compulsive hoarder.” Just as hoarding used sticky notes and old newspapers is a sign of anxiety and depression, the hoarding of to-dos is psychologically damaging to the military officers. It forces them to act in a way that directly contradicts their hard-earned identity. Following orders is a relatively small facet of Ben’s professorial identity, and he still feels guilty when he misses one meeting to attend another. Imagine the mental anguish forced corner- cutting causes for the officers, who have achieved their ranks by doing every single thing that is asked of them.
The officers face this impossible situation because new to-dos have been added faster than old ones have been subtracted. There is simply not enough time for them to do their jobs.
And yet, the recommendation at the end of that Army War College report is to “exercise restraint in the propagation of requirements.” But “exercising restraint” would be ringing Ben’s no-bell a few times. When the tasks exceed the time available to do them, restraint is not enough. To improve the officers’ situation, stop-doing would be required.
Here are your takeaways.
Invert: Try less before more. Subtract detail even before you act, as with triage. Then, once you are ready to make changes, put subtracting first—play Jenga. And remember, just because we now appreciate that less is not a loss, that does not mean that your audience and customers do. So, tell them about this book and, in the meantime, don’t “subtract.” Instead, clean, carve, and reveal. Add a unit of transformation.
Expand: Think add and subtract. Nature and Maya Lin show us that these are complementary approaches to change. Adding should cue subtracting, not rule it out. Try accessing a different multitude. The father might see what the bicycle designer misses. If you run out of multitudes, hire an editor. And don’t forget to zoom out to see the field, because stop-doings and negative numbers are not unpossible. Plus, the field is where the tension is, and removing it is the “good” way to change systems. So sure, add diversity, but subtracting racism is the prize.
Distill: Focus in on the people. Bikes do not balance, but toddlers can. Strip down to what sparks joy. Decluttering delights, and so does the psychology of optimal experience. Use your innate sense for relative difference. Taking away a mammoth is a bigger transformation than adding one. Embrace complexity, but then strive for the essence. Forget objects, remember forces—and pass mechanics. Subtract information and accumulate wisdom.
Finally, persist: Keep subtracting. Can you make less undeniable? Bruce Springsteen made Darkness visible. Costa Rica made neutrality noticeable. Chip made an empty go-kart funny. Don’t forget that you can reuse your subtractions, like doughnut holes. Subtract stuff to leave a legacy of options—like Sue, Leo, and Elinor.
