The Subtraction Principle
5 Ways to Clear Space for Your Life’s Work
In the pursuit of your life’s work, it is important to have a clear understanding of The Subtraction Principle.
It was not until I started to slowly learn about this principle, and just as slowly began applying it, that I started to truly appreciate what it could do.
I’ve always been intrigued by the old proverb:
“The man who chases two rabbits catches none.”
That was me. For most of my life. Except I was chasing way more than two rabbits.
Seriously!
A dozen dreams. A hundred ideas. Always in motion, rarely finishing.
And for a long time, I believed that made me ambitious. Maybe even visionary.
But eventually, I had to face the truth. I was never going to catch anything unless I focused on just one rabbit.
The Serial Rabbit Chaser
I remember launching my first business, PcNetworkTech.com in 2001.
I was young, hungry, and obsessed with creating something on my own.
I taught myself how to build websites, learned basic graphic design, and figured out how to turn ideas into something real online.
Once I got good at it, I became addicted to launching.
Here was my routine:
Come up with a clever idea and a clever business name
Grab a new domain
Pay $150 to an overseas designer for a logo
Slap together a website faster than it took to download a full song on Napster
It felt productive. It looked like momentum. But it was really fragmentation.
I was constantly switching rabbits. Dropping one idea to chase another.
If you're like me, you’ve even found a dozen clever domains and pulled out the credit card faster than you should have.
At one point, I literally had 29 registered domains sitting in my GoDaddy account.
I remember looking at the list and saying to myself:
“Who the F* am I kidding?”
That was a turning point for me.
That was when I began to embrace The Subtraction Principle.
Why The Subtraction Principle Matters
We live in an age of digital excess.
There’s an app for everything. A tool for every task. A new trend every week.
It’s easy to think the next tool or tactic will finally get you organized, help you focus, or grow your business.
But clarity rarely comes from adding more.
It usually comes from letting go.
To do your life’s work, you have to make room for it.
You have to subtract before you scale.
Here are five ways I personally apply The Subtraction Principle to stay grounded and focused on what matters most.
1. Subtract to Focus
Most people ask themselves, “What should I do next?”
The better question is, “What can I stop doing?”
Every task you remove creates space for deeper focus.
If your to-do list feels overwhelming, it’s probably because you’re still chasing too many rabbits.
You don’t need better time management. You need fewer priorities.
The Subtraction Principle reminds us that focus is not about choosing what to chase. It’s about stopping everything else that distracts from the chase.
2. Kill the Clone Projects
Many of the projects we start are just echoes of the same internal desire. The desire to create. The desire to be seen. The desire to matter.
When we divide our energy across too many projects, we never go deep enough on any of them. We end up with a portfolio of false starts.
As I mentioned earlier, I once had 29 domain names, each attached to a clever business idea. But most of them were clones. They were reflections of the same unmet need to commit to one thing.
The Subtraction Principle invites you to let go of all the side quests and pour yourself fully into one meaningful mission.
3. Delete the Noise
Noise kills momentum.
We are bombarded with inputs all day long. Emails. Notifications. Ads. Social feeds. Digital clutter is real clutter.
One of the best things I’ve done is invest in a Hey Email account by 37 Signals.
I love how easy it makes it to screen out emails before they even hit my inbox. The screener feature is powerful. It gives me control over what gets in and what stays out.
It really is an amazing tool. Too bad 37 Signals doesn’t offer an affiliate program. I’d gladly promote them.
I recommend doing a digital audit. Unsubscribe from newsletters you never read.
Unfollow accounts that drain your energy. Delete apps that don’t serve your mission.
The Subtraction Principle begins by reducing the noise around you.
You cannot hear your inner voice when the outer world is too loud.
4. Limit Your Stack
Early in my solopreneur journey, I used to think I needed the best tools in every category.
Now I know what I really need is one trusted option in each area, and the discipline to stop switching.
Here’s my core stack today:
Google Workspace for online file management, calendar, and docs
Canva for design and content
WordPress with Kadence AI Themes for my website
My trusted AI squad: ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini
And of course, the Substack platform
That’s it.
Simple, streamlined, and good enough to build almost anything.
You don’t need 20 tools to succeed.
You just need a few that align with how you work and what you value.
The Subtraction Principle applies here too.
The fewer tools you juggle, the more energy you have to actually create.
5. Protect Your Solitude
Subtraction isn’t just about removing tasks or tools.
It’s also about creating space for stillness.
I fiercely protect my time of solitude.
This is not optional. It is essential. It is how I reset, reflect, and reconnect with myself and God.
One of my favorite things to do is find random coffee shops in unfamiliar neighborhoods. I sit down with my journal or my laptop, sip something warm, and just listen. Not to a podcast. Not to a playlist. Just to my thoughts.
That’s where a lot of my inspiration is born.
If you want to do meaningful work, you have to disconnect from the noise.
Give your mind room to wander. Let the ideas come to you.
The Subtraction Principle is not just a productivity method. It is a spiritual practice.
Final Thought
You were not meant to chase everything.
You were meant to build something that matters.
To do that, you have to let go.
Let go of the extra. The noise. The busywork. The clever distractions.
Let go of the fantasy that you can do it all and catch all the rabbits.
Choose one.
Subtract everything that gets in its way.
This is The Subtraction Principle.
It is how you clear the path to your life’s work.