Addition by Subtraction

I started my business on August 17 (my half birthday, coincidentally). Through these past 90 days, I have started many things, all of them additive to the UnPause mission. I’ve launched new services, worked with some incredible clients, developed new partnerships, and said yes to opportunities I couldn’t have imagined just a few months ago.

It’s been exhilarating, exhausting, and incredibly rewarding. And if you know me, you know I love to start things. I love the energy of a new idea, the challenge of figuring something out, and the satisfaction of getting something off the ground.

But now I’m going to take the advice I give my clients: In order to add something, what are you going to take away?

We talk a lot about growth in business. New revenue streams, new customers, new services, new initiatives. And those are all good things! But what we don’t talk about nearly enough is what we need to stop doing to make room for that growth. Because even the best ideas require time, energy, and attention. And despite our best efforts, those resources are not unlimited.

Which brings me to this blog.

I’ve recently begun writing a bi-monthly column for the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal, which I hope you’ll read! I’m excited about the opportunity to share my thoughts on leadership, strategy, and business with a wider audience. But it also means I need to reconsider where I’m spending my time.

So, I’ll continue to write here, just less frequently.

And here’s your nudge to do the same kind of inventory. Think about what you’ve added to your plate over the past 90 days. What is serving you and your mission? What is getting in the way of progress? What exhausts you? And perhaps most importantly, what are you continuing to do simply because you’ve always done it?

In a senior leadership team session yesterday, a group member explained that their past strategic plan was so expansive, it felt difficult to get it all done. There were so many goals, initiatives, and priorities that the team was struggling to make meaningful progress on any of them.

Their CEO and I challenged the group: What can you stop doing?

“Nothing!” they said.

Of course, there’s something. We just have to be willing to let go.

I see this all the time in strategic planning sessions. Leaders are eager to identify new opportunities and solve new problems, but when it comes time to decide what should come off the list, things get uncomfortable. Every initiative has a champion. Every project has a reason for existing. And every activity seems important to someone.

But when everything is a priority, is anything really a priority?

Sometimes we confuse stopping something with giving up on it. Or we worry that if we take something off our plates, we’re somehow admitting it wasn’t worthwhile in the first place. But I don’t think that’s true. Something can be valuable and still not be the best use of our time right now. Something can have served us well in one season and no longer be what we need in the next.

That’s true for businesses, and it’s true for us as individuals.

When it comes to this blog, I genuinely enjoy writing it. Writing helps me process what I’m learning, reflect on conversations with clients, and share ideas I hope are helpful to others. I don’t want to stop doing that.

But when I looked at the data, considered the opportunity to reach a broader audience, and took stock of everything else on my plate, I realized my writing passion is better utilized on a wider platform.

So I’m letting weekly posts go. One less to-do on my list, and one less email in your inbox!

It’s a small example, but I think the principle is an important one. We can’t keep adding indefinitely and expect to do everything well. At some point, growth requires us to make choices. Not just about what we’re going to pursue, but about what we’re willing to leave behind.

And maybe that’s the harder part of strategy. Coming up with ideas is fun. Choosing which ones deserve our limited time and energy takes discipline.

So, I’ll leave you with a challenge. What will you let go of, even just for a season? What might become possible if you gave yourself, or your team, permission to stop doing something?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you for reading, for your encouragement, and for supporting UnPause in these first 90 days. I’m grateful for the conversations this blog has sparked and look forward to continuing them, just a little less frequently.

Here’s to the adage of addition by subtraction. Sometimes the best way to move forward isn’t to do more. It’s to make room for what matters most.