When I was in my early teens, my room was a mess—brimming with junk. For months, I ignored my parents’ requests to clean it up. So, one day while I was at school, my father took a giant garbage bag into my room and literally wiped the slate clean.

When I walked in that afternoon, I was shocked—but surprisingly, not angry. What I saw was a tidy space with all the essentials. I never once asked for anything that was missing because, well, I didn’t miss it.

This was a turning point for me—one that showed me the value of subtraction for the first time. People who know me and my neat-nick ways now, would never have imagined my room was so cluttered.

I’ve since learned that the benefits of subtraction apply to every area of life. Its power is undeniable, yet so hard reconcile when we want to do all the things and have all the stuff that signal success.

This struggle is especially profound in purpose-driven leaders who have a hard time saying “no” to anything that could possibly help others. Yet, saying “no” is precisely the way they can make the greatest impact.

One of my client’s board members recently asked me, “What’s your number-one recommendation to help leaders and teams reduce overwhelm?” My answer: “Do less, better.”

The Path to Subtraction

Stress management expert Matt Adams often hears people refer to burnout as a mental health issue, when really, it’s a holistic one. He explains, “Stress needs an outlet like water needs a drain. If you release, reduce, or eliminate stress, burnout is practically impossible.”

Release. Reduce. Eliminate. All means of subtraction. All means of cutting out what is unessential. But by no means, are they easy to do.

Greg McKeown, author of the book Essentialism, offers three questions to consider. They can start you on the on the path to determine how subtraction can be just what you and your organization need to thrive.

• What's essential that I'm underinvesting in?

• What's nonessential that I'm overinvesting in?

• How can I make it effortless to get the most important things done?

The Benefit of Collective Wisdom

These questions can be even more powerful when discussed among a group of colleagues who are walking in your shoes. That’s why I’m launching The C-Suite Sessions: Purpose-Driven Peer Advisory in 2025.

For eight months, we’ll gather for the kind of meaningful conversation and strategizing that just doesn’t happen one coffee date at a time. But hurry—there are only 5 spots left, and the early-bird discount expires on January 15.

Questions? Contact me.