We’ve mentioned before that trying to fit in as many features as possible into your “productivity” software might be doing more harm than good, and there isn’t really such a thing as the perfect tool that can do it all, but today we present: strategic subtraction! This means getting rid of the actual issue at hand, instead of covering it up with unrelated “solutions”, the same way you wouldn’t use a band-aid to cover up a broken bone. Think of it as decluttering, but for your life here on the computer. Most of us spend so much time downloading and trying to figure out how to use all these tools that say they’re going to help us become more efficient, both with work and in our day-to-day lives. But in the end it just ends up creating more work. Here’s how to strategically subtract all of that and a lot more!

Step 1: Locate the Mess

Before you can try and fix or solve ANYTHING, you need to know what you’re actualling dealing with. You need to be honest with yourself about what actually happens day-to-day. Make a list of every tool, app, and system you have downloaded or pay a subscription for. DO NOT overthink it; just brain-dump everything onto paper or a note document. Then, for each tool on your list, ask yourself these four questions:

1. What problem does this tool actually solve? Be brutally honest. If you can’t simply and concisely pinpoint the exact issue that this tool actively helps you to resolve and describe it in a single sentence then there are no more words that need to be said.
   
   

2. Do I have another tool that does the same thing? You might even have multiple that all, at their core, have the same or very similar functions. Three different apps, marketed very differently, but their job is all the same if we really think about it, maybe solving different versions of the same problem, but that’s just redundant!
   
   

3. When did I last get REAL value from this? Not when you last opened it out of habit, but when it actually made your work better, faster, or easier.
   
   

4. How much does it actually cost? We mean this in every way possible. Add up the subscription fee, calculate how much time you spent learning how to use it, the mental energy of switching between it and other tools, how well does it actually integrate with your life? The real price is usually higher than the monthly fee you get charged. 

Most of the time, we end up using 1-3 apps to do 90% of our work, and the rest just kind of sits there… 

Step 2: STOP! Don’t Think: “Just In Case”

Now that you have the truly useful tools identified, you’re probably looking at the rest of them and thinking “but what if I end up needing these for that 10% of work where they kind of are useful”, and you might have the urge to keep them just in case. STOP! This fear and hypothetical problem solving forces you to maintain tools you don’t use, paying for subscriptions you don’t need, and creating clutter that follows us everywhere. The way to resolve this is by recognising the difference between essential tools and “vanity” tools (software that makes us feel like we’re doing a lot of work, but we’re not moving forward and no progress has truly been made). Essential tools are easy to pick out, because if you removed them, it would genuinely disrupt your work. 

Step 3: How Do I Choose Simplicity?

Now that you’ve gone through and questioned your tools, it’s time to decide what stays and what goes. This is where a lot of people get stuck, because through marketing we’ve slowly started equating feature lists and complex dashboards with quality, value, and sophistication. Instead, try to look for tools that do ONE THING exceptionally, rather than hundreds of things adequately. It should be a tool that is focused and integrates well with what you already have. You don’t want a Swiss Army knife that you fumble around with, you want a sharp knight’s blade used for conquest only. Ask yourself these questions to avoid bringing the Swiss Army knife into battle:

Does it solve a problem you actually have right now? Not a problem you might have someday, but one that’s actively making your work harder today.

Will it work well with what you already use? Tools that require you to completely change your existing setup are rarely worth the disruption. 

Can you explain what it does to someone else in one sentence? If you need to justify why you need it in a short essay, you probably don’t need it.

Does it feel intuitive, or will you need to spend hours learning it? You shouldn’t be getting homework from software that promises to do all your tasks in seconds. If you’ve spent several hours trying to figure it out and you still can’t find your way around the dashboard, then it might be time to uninstall.

You don’t need to find perfect tools. But the tools you do have shouldn’t feel like a rocket ship control centre; it should feel like a natural integration in your day.

Step 4: This Is an Ongoing Practice…

Unfortunately, simplification isn’t a one-time project you accomplish and then move on from with your trophy. To be effective, it needs to be an ongoing practice, like keeping your desk clean or maintaining your health. Every few months, take a step back and ask: “Is this still serving me?”

Tools that were useful six months ago might be unneeded now. There comes a point where you need a change, better solutions emerge, or what you thought of as essential once might now feel redundant or unnecessary. This isn’t really about having the fewest tools possible, but more so having tools that work for you specifically, and make what you do easier. Sometimes that means adding something on to what you already have, more often it’s removing something that’s outlived its usefulness. When you’re purposeful with what you use, you spend less time managing these tools, and more time using them to create something meaningful. And that’s why we believe in the art of subtraction. We want to create. 

Start small. Pick one tool you haven’t used in the last month and remove it. Notice how it feels. Then do it again. You might be surprised by how much lighter your work becomes.