Hey friends 👋

If you're one of the 31 new faces this week - welcome! It's great to have you on board with us as we approach 150 members in this community of young consultants.

This week we discuss:

• the philosophy of subtracting instead of adding;
• a tool to help with decision-making;
• and I answer a question from the community about building a reading habit (remember you can make a submission via the button at the bottom of this email).

I hope you had a great weekend. On Saturday I think I achieved the most Melbourne day ever - I went for a run around the river, headed to Flinders Lane for coffee, went to the NGV, then to the MCG to watch Richmond go down against the Gold Coast. I think all I missed was a ride on the city circle tram.

Hope you have a great week ahead :)

Brock

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Poll of the Week

Select an option to have your say and see the results.

Would you leave your current job to do the same thing elsewhere for 10% more money? Absolutely Nah, but for 20% more I would Nah

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This Week's Thought

Via negativa is a concept I was introduced to by Nassim Taleb in his book Antifragile.

It's a latin phrase which was originally used in Christian theology to describe what God is by describing what he isn't. Today, you can think of it more as the study of what not to do.

When faced with a problem, our default response is almost always to add something.

Can't sleep? Why don't I buy blue-blocking glasses and see if that helps?

The via negativa approach is to subtract, not add.

Can't sleep? Why don't I remove all screens in the 60 minutes prior to bed?

In a world which is so saturated and stimulating, learning about via negativa was a game-changer for me. It's now my default response to subtract rather than add, and it's already leading me to a simpler life of addressing root causes (rather than adding bandaids).

I apply this principle at work and at home. From a home perspective, I minimise the number of things I buy, and do weird things like avoid escalators and elevators wherever stairs are an option (sometimes if I have time I'll walk down 14 levels of stairs from my apartment). Stairs keep our bodies active and work the muscles, so why not use them when it's practical.

Via Negativa At Work

Here are 5 quick things you can remove today:

1. Email notifications - this one's a no-brainer for me. Every time you see an email notification, part of your mental capacity goes towards it and away from the task at hand (even if you don't think it does). If it's that important, they'll message or call you.
2. Excessive windows/tabs - focus on one task at a time and remove everything else. If I have one of those days where I have more Chrome tabs than there are grains of sand in Australia then I can be almost certain I've achieved little of real value.
3. Work notifications after hours - if it's crucial, they will text you (just make sure people have your personal number).
4. Phone - I feel like a boomer here ("it's that damn phone!"), and perhaps it's more of a problem for me than it is for you, but I really have to keep on top of my screen time. When I'm at the office it's easy, but at home it's harder - my #1 strategy is to leave it in a different room.
5. Distractions in mornings - my peak focus and energy comes in the morning, so I do everything I can to keep my calendar clear and other distractions (e.g. the phone) minimised before midday. If your best work is done in the afternoon, then the same principle applies.

Via negativa is a philosophy you can try out this week to simplify and address more root causes.

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What I'm Reading

I just finished Invent and Wander, which is a book of essentially two parts; the first part consists of Jeff Bezos' Amazon shareholder letters over the years, and the second part is a collection of essays and speeches from Jeff on various topics.

I found it a really interesting read, and thought I'd share a nugget around decision-making with you. If you have a decision you're struggling to make (at work or at home), consider whether it is a one-way or two-way door.

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From the Community

I use my commute time as my reading time primarily. It turns the commute from a painful waste of time into dedicated learning time which contributes positively to my career and life.

From a practical perspective, a Kindle makes this much easier. Being able to read on a small device which allows me to easily turn pages and highlight sections has been a massive convenience.

I've also done physical books on the commute - it's whatever works best for you.

Apart from that, I usually read before bed, but it's only briefly (10-15 mins) to help me wind down.

Two tips that I've heard around the traps:

1. Instead of trying to force yourself to read extensively each day, commit to just one page per day. Often you will find that once you get one page in you'll want to keep going. And if you stop, then you stop - it is what it is.
2. Carry a book with you everywhere so that when moments of boredom arise, you've got a book easily accessible. I carry one with me basically 24/7, so whenever I'm waiting for someone else or I'm running ahead of schedule I can just pull it out and read for 5-10 mins.

Have a question, story, or just want to share your thoughts?

Make a submission

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