How Subtraction Adds More To Your Life

How subtraction adds more to your life
The DetoxHow subtraction adds more to your life

Just over a month ago, I decided to uninstall or disable all browsers, news apps, and games from my phone.

I didn’t consider myself a “phone addict”. But I felt I spent more time than I needed on it.

Despite my perceived lack of addiction, I went through withdrawals.

For the first week, I had to relearn how to function. Who walks all the way over to a laptop to do an internet search? For that matter, how did we ever survive before the internet?

I found myself habitually reaching for my phone. Often picking it up and staring at it for a moment. Waiting for it to do something for me.

The first week was hard. But I soon began to feel different. I hadn’t been aware of feeling bad before. But now I knew I felt good.

It was as if I had gone from a fast-food diet to eating whole foods. I somehow felt “fresher.” Whatever that means.

By the end of the second week, I noticed something else. I had gone two weeks with almost no exposure to the news or social media. I had also gone without something to “fill the gaps” while waiting – in lines, for coffee, pots to boil, etc. I relearned to take breaks that didn’t include my phone.

And I felt great. Emotionally, I felt clearer. I was more upbeat. Mentally, I felt more focused. It was easier to concentrate.

The Contrast

After a while, I briefly checked in on a news site on my laptop – just to see what the world had gotten up to in my absence.

It was awful. It was like walking in on a family fight. Everyone yelling, no one listening, lots of hysterics.

That was just the news. Our self-and-often-proclaimed pinnacles of journalistic credibility. I don’t want to know what they are doing on social media.

I realized something: I didn’t need to know anything they were talking about:

  1.  No one knew anything – almost all the “news” stories were speculation.
  2. What people did know, and was a fact, almost never impacted me.

Taking those apps off my phone was intended to be a short-term exercise. Maybe for a week or two.

But now, a month in, I’ve read more books. Spent more time with my kids. Gardened a bit outside. Caught up on a few projects. Reconnected with some of my inner life.

I’m not sure I want those apps back. It’s hard to see the benefit. I can see, now, what I’ll lose.

2022:  A Year of Subtraction

I theme my years. It provides focus.

2021 was a year of Traction. I focused on only doing things that produced real and meaningful results. I worked to quickly recognize and stop activities that didn’t.

I found so much benefit from that focus, I thought I’d repeat it for 2022. But, soon, I realized that traction wasn’t what I needed most.

What I really needed was sub-traction. I needed to cut things out of my life.

The phone browser, news, and games were my most recent cut.

I’ve also gotten rid of stuff. I have more stuff to get rid of than I thought.

Tonight, I plan on going home and subtracting some more. Before I had kids, I had an equipment intense hobby. For 10 years, it’s been stored, and unused. It takes up a fifth of my garage space.

I look forward to subtracting that.

After that, I might make my wife happy and clear out some of my college t-shirts.

(Well, maybe that’s taking things too far…)

You Should Subtract Too

Take a look at things in your life that steal your energy, joy, peace, time, focus, or value. Get rid of as much as you can.

I get it. Life has responsibilities. There are times when discomfort or distractions are just part of the deal.  I do get it. But still…my guess is that you can safely subtract a lot of that without damaging actual responsibilities.

7-Day Elimination Challenge

As I wrote this article, I received a newsletter from a friend, mentor, and WSJ Best Selling Author, Craig Ballantyne.

Turns out he’s been thinking about subtraction as well. In his newsletter, he introduced a 7-Day Elimination Challenge. I thought he worded it well – so I got permission to borrow it. Give it a shot:

Day 1 – Eliminate a food or drink temptation from the house… cookies, booze, pizza, last night’s Door Dash leftovers… toss the trash… it’s called Junk Food for a reason.

Day 2 – Clear your workspace… Eliminate all the temptations within arm’s reach where you work each day… that means clearing the clutter of books, phones, magazines, TV remotes, etc.

Day 3 – Remove all notifications from your phone.

Day 4 – Delete 10 apps from your phone.

Day 5 – Never hit snooze again… you can even buy the “Sonic Bomb” alarm clock on Amazon if needed, lol.

Day 6 – Block 10 people from contacting you on IG, FB, or text… you know, the ones who waste your precious time.

Day 7 – Build a “Phone Bed” and pick a cut-off time to put the phone in the bed each night (your kids will love this ritual!).

These 7 simple steps from Craig Ballantyne will instantly upgrade your focus and shift you into a high-performance mindset.

Take good care,

Christian


𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗻 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘽𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝘁.emergency executive succession plan | christian muntean

Be prepared for a smooth transition in the event of an unplanned emergency succession. My guide will show you step-by-step how to devise your own plan.

Download my free guide here.


Free Leadership Resources

Whether you are a new CEO, thinking of succession or exit, or wanting to strengthen your leadership and your team, I’ve got resources to help:

New CEOs

Succession or exit planning

Enhancing your leadership skills

Improving company performance 


Are you interested in learning more about becoming a successful CEO? If so, get a free copy of my book The Successful New CEO. Not a new CEO? I’ve been toldThe Successful New CEO by Christian Muntean by “old hands” that they felt any CEO should read this. So, click here to get your copy today.


Let’s connect.

I’m passionate about helping leaders to create workplaces they love going to and increasing the value of the services they offer. My results-oriented approach is tailored to each client’s specific situation and needs.  As a leadership coach, I have developed a wealth of resources to help you and your team grow and become stronger.

Weekly Newslettersign up to receive my weekly articles addressing critical leadership challenges and issues.

The Leadership Coach Podcast – In my podcast, we explore effective, high-impact, and enjoyable leadership. Subscribe.

Linkedin


There are 𝟭𝟮 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 to ask before accepting a new CEO position. Do you know what they are?  Instantly download my free e-book here.

The Successful New CEO by Christian Muntean


Find the value of your company with my free assessment tool: The Value Builder System

The Value Builder System™ is a 13-minute online questionnaire that evaluates your business on the eight factors that contribute more to its attractiveness and value. These factors are scored on a scale of 1-100. Businesses that score over 80 are likely to command 70%-100% higher value than others.

Value Builder System | Christian Muntean


Opportunities

Executive and Leadership Coaching: Do you feel overwhelmed? Are you not getting the results you expect from the effort you are putting in? Do you find yourself facing similar challenges time and time again? Would you like to change specific ways of relating or reacting? If you would like to experience predictable, measurable growth Contact me.

Profitable Exit Strategy Workshop: Are you a business owner or partner? Over 55? Starting to think about exiting your business or active management in the next 3-5 years?

  • Curious about what your business might be worth?
  • Would you like to discover the specific steps you need to take to increase its value and become highly attractive to a buyer?
  • Are you planning on handing it over to family or employees and you want to ensure long-term success?

If so, contact me now

wihtout-doing-mockup

Download my free 10-page eBook:

How To Accomplish More Without Doing More:

Eight Proven Strategies To Change Your Life

Discover how to save eight hours during your workweek-even if you're too busy to even think about it. The resource every maxed out executive needs.