We live in a more overwhelming world than ever. Businesses are more complex, work is more demanding, and our data is constantly tracked. Too often, we just accept that as a given.
According to author Matthew May, we don't have to. In his recent book, The Laws Of Subtraction, May and a series of business executives, creatives, and thought leaders focus on what's an increasingly essential skill for success, the ability to simplify and remove complexity, rather than just adding more.
We've taken May's 6 laws, and some of the best examples and contributions that illustrate how you can subtract to become more successful.
Law 1: What you leave out is just as important as what you keep.
In a world where there's an incredible, rapidly growing amount of information, we're constantly scared about leaving something out. Whether it's a product feature, a fact, or a strategic option, we tend to try to include everything.
May's first law is the idea thatsimple goals are easier to focus on, and that the simplest designs and shortest speeches have the greatest impact. Taking more time to focus on removing what's unneeded helps let other people's imaginations and capabilities do more of the work. It's more satisfying for them, and leads to more success for you.
Source: The Laws Of Subtraction
Perfect the things you're confident in, rather than hedging with extra features.
You would think that Behance, which offers tools to help creatives feature their work online, would over time add more products and more options. According to Founder and CEO Scott Belsky, they've subtracted them.
Removing features was a sign of confidence, because the company was able to focus on their core offering, the thing people came to the site for. A "safe and scattered strategy" means you're likely just hedging a product or idea you aren't confident in.
Source: The Laws Of Subtraction
The FedEx logo's use of empty space and subtle arrow have made it an iconic design.
The FedEx logo has vibrant colors and bold lettering, but it's that subtle arrow that few people notice that make it so memorable. In the presentation where he introduced the logo among several alternatives, designer Lindon Leader didn't tell executives about it, the appealing thing was the discovery.
FedEx's PR firm wanted to super-size and emphasize the arrow, but they missed the point. "It wasn't about the arrow. An arrow isn't even interesting to look at," Leader says. "It's only because of the subtlety that it's intriguing."
Source: The Laws Of Subtraction
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