1) This “common sense” misconception (attributed to Steve Jobs) is the single most destructive idea in the world today.
2) Deciding what not to do gives you more than 80% of results with less than 20% of the effort. Apple's designs are a screaming example.
3) I wouldn’t be surprised if Jobs was paltering, so people wouldn’t think Apple didn’t really do enough to justify the price of its products.
4) Because people wrongly equate activity (adding) with value-added, whereas most value is created by ruthless subtraction.
5) The path of “not doing” (Via Negativa) is all-powerful and can deliver unbelievable results.
6) @EdLatimore: “Not caring about what other people think is a superpower.” 100% it is. Why?
7) Stop caring about what you ALREADY KNOW doesn’t matter to you (other people’s judgements and goals).
8) Discarding what you don’t care about is much easier than deciding overnight what the rest of your life is going to be about.
9) If you do living right, you’ll reinvent yourself a million times. Get on with it and dump all the useless garbage overboard. Now.
10) @nntaleb: “The entire idea of *via negativa* is that *omission* does not have side effects and branching chains of unintended consequences.”
11) Half of Taleb’s “Antifragile” and “The Bed of Procrustes” are about via negativa’s power of reducing risk (fragility) in life.
12) But Via Negativa isn’t just about reducing risk. Its application can be much more potent than that.
13) Subtraction is a SUPERPOWER in effective risk-taking, in making it easy and safe to *add* to your life successfully.
14) How do you succeed by *not* doing? Easily, with positive effects within days instead of years (or never).
15) Which one is easier to act upon? “Be successful” or “don’t be a loser”?
16) Odds are you don’t even know how to define success, but you sure know a bunch of ways you can be a total loser.
17) Then, which is easier to decide and act upon NOW? Which is likely to bring results sooner, making it easier to sustain effort?
18) When you focus on smashing the bad behaviors, you leave yourself NO CHOICE but to do what’s right.
19) The path of subtraction is a “death ground” maneuver for the mind. And a creative superpower, too.
20) @paulg: “Relentlessly prune bullshit, don't wait to do things that matter, and savor the time you have.”
21) @paulg’s coached the most difficult part as a negative because trying to overcome your aversion to action is a fool’s errand.
22) Instead, build aversion to inaction. That’s the power move. Put your mind on death ground, so right action becomes inevitable.
23) People spend decades at meditation retreats, and barely learn to quiet their minds for more than a few moments.
24) Understand this one thing. Your brain is the most glorious Random Bullshit Generator nature ever created.
25) That’s why it’s tough to stay focused, stick to the latest fad diet or hit the gym instead of watching cat videos.
26) It’s imbecilic (IYI!) to expect that you’ll come up with good ideas on command. But you can train yourself to get them anyway.
27) How? You guessed it – subtraction is the path to creativity. @scottadamsays you simply train yourself to ditch bad ideas.
28) Your restless mind just keeps tossing in new and more outlandish ideas until you finally get one that’s worth more work.
29) The key is not to get attached to the bad ideas, but instead get rid of them. Get rid of an idea even if it’s “just OK”.
30) Scott’s masterful brainstorming insight can be applied to everything you do.
31) Be ruthless with behaviors which you know are not going to take you where you want to be. Dump them and build aversion against them.
32) Which is easier? You “don’t eat sugar” or “eat healthy”?
33) The examples are endless, but the laws of subtraction are simple and easy to follow. Break them at your peril.
34) THE FIRST LAW
Don't be an idiot.
Don't be an idiot.
35) THE SECOND LAW
Don’t do what you don’t need to do.
Don’t do what you don’t need to do.
36) THE THIRD LAW
Don’t condescend.
Don’t condescend.
37) THE FOURTH LAW
Don’t behave like people you don’t want to become.
Don’t behave like people you don’t want to become.
38) THE FIFTH LAW
Don't break THE FIRST LAW.
Don't break THE FIRST LAW.
39) THE SIXTH LAW
Don't be useless.
Don't be useless.
40) THE SEVENTH LAW
Don’t stop before you’ve learnt, then don’t stop some more.
Don’t stop before you’ve learnt, then don’t stop some more.
41) THE EIGHTH LAW
Don’t develop attachments to what is fleeting.
Don’t develop attachments to what is fleeting.
42) THE NINTH LAW
Don’t burden yourself with belief unless it’s necessary for action.
Don’t burden yourself with belief unless it’s necessary for action.
43) THE TENTH LAW
Don't be ignorant of the world.
Don't be ignorant of the world.
