The Monday memo is food for thought to fuel your week.
Hi everyone,
We’re wired to solve problems by adding. More meetings. More features. More words. More effort. But often the breakthrough comes from taking things away.
A sculptor cuts away the excess stone until a figure is revealed. A gardener spends more time pruning and weeding than planting. All art involves processes of editing, removal, clearing away clutter and noise in order to reveal the clarity that lies under all of the distraction.
Subtraction moves:
Delete what doesn’t matter.
Disable what distracts.
Defer what doesn’t belong now.
Diminish what drains you.
Demote what isn’t core.
When you subtract, you reveal essence. You reduce friction. You uncover the signal hiding in the noise.
Most things get better with less. Cluttered rooms. Bureaucracies. Schedules. Meetings. Dashboards. Wardrobes. Even relationships.
Subtraction clears the field. It makes space for what you actually care about. Think of it like pruning a tree: cut away what’s dead or tangled so the living branches can thrive.
Exercise.
Here’s your exercise for the week. Pick one area of your work or life. What can you prune? For example:
Delete an app that constantly distracts you but serves little purpose.
Cancel a meeting or obligation that isn’t truly necessary. Give yourself that time back.
Cross off a low-value task that’s been lingering on your list “just because.”
Let go of one perfectionist rule (the kind that says you must do X or else). Prove that life goes on even if you ease up.
Notice the space that subtraction creates. Ask yourself: what grows here now?
See what happens.
Back-to-school time!
Project Kairos kicks off on September 3rd. That’s NEXT WEEK!
We will be exploring time-boxing, deadlines, routines, how we make the time to get our work done.
Our Friday Campfire calls are like happy hour.
Project studio is different. It’s a co-working studio environment where we roll up our sleeves and get to work: a place for mutual accountability, support and encouragement. We meet weekly to share progress and help each other on our creative projects.
If you aren’t a member yet, upgrade now to join us!
More information for members is below the fold.👇