1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:08,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:21,720 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to solve by subtracting. In life, our 4 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:26,159 Speaker 1: bias is often to add, but taking away can be 5 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: just as useful. I recently read a fascinating book by 6 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 1: Light E. Clots called Subtract The Untapped Science of less. 7 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 1: Klotz has built his career studying how people approach problems. 8 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:45,839 Speaker 1: In particular, he noticed an interesting phenomenon while building a 9 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: lego bridge with his young son. The two sides they 10 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,599 Speaker 1: had constructed were uneven, so Clots went to grab an 11 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: extra brick for the short side. As he was doing so, 12 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: he saw that his son had taken a brick away 13 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:05,320 Speaker 1: from the tall side, which of course solved the problem 14 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 1: just as easily. He wondered why he had automatically thought 15 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: to add a brick. He put the same test to 16 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 1: various other people and found that the overwhelming human bias 17 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: is to solve the problem by adding a piece rather 18 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:25,560 Speaker 1: than taking one away. This is an interesting bias because 19 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:31,119 Speaker 1: in many cases subtracting seems like a better solution. Fewer 20 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 1: materials cost less than more materials. When it comes to 21 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: things that take time, time is an absolutely limited resource. 22 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:45,559 Speaker 1: When we add things to our schedule, we cut off 23 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: the opportunity to do other things. Clot cites examples in 24 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: his book From the Real World, We're Subtracting wasn't the 25 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: obvious solution, but turned out to be a better one. 26 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 1: For instance, I always love walking along the Embarcadero whenever 27 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: I visit San Francisco. There used to be a freeway there. 28 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: The city only took down that freeway because of an earthquake. 29 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:14,080 Speaker 1: With all the traffic and congestion in San Francisco, getting 30 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 1: rid of a road might seem a bit crazy, and 31 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:22,360 Speaker 1: yet doing so massively boosted property values and use of 32 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 1: the San Francisco waterfront. Yes, traffic is bad, put traffic 33 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: is always bad. People figure something out. In any case. 34 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 1: When you know that the bias is to add rather 35 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 1: than subtract, you can take steps to counter that bias. 36 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 1: This has obvious ramifications with new products. Rather than add 37 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: more features, maybe things would work better if you took 38 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 1: some features away and made the ones that remain really awesome. 39 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:57,360 Speaker 1: When you think about adding something to your schedule, think 40 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 1: first about what you might take away. Perhaps people are 41 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:06,119 Speaker 1: missing deadlines with a project. Rather than schedule more check ins, 42 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:10,800 Speaker 1: maybe you should cancel as many meetings as possible so 43 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:14,920 Speaker 1: people have time to do their jobs. Maybe instead of 44 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:18,120 Speaker 1: sending more emails to employees about the various benefits they 45 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,040 Speaker 1: could be using, you could limit this down to one 46 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: email so people have time to use their benefits rather 47 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:29,920 Speaker 1: than sorting through their inboxes. Rather than making forms longer 48 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: to get more useful information from applicants, make them shorter 49 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: so people can answer a few questions well. That can 50 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: give you useful information without confusing things. I have often 51 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: noticed this with writing. I like to think that I 52 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 1: already write tight, and yet whatever I have said is 53 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 1: almost always better after I have subtracted ten to of 54 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: the words. I could keep trying to explain things to 55 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: make them more clear, but they tend to naturally be 56 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: more clear with the needless words omitted. So today, as 57 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:16,680 Speaker 1: you think about your various choices, look for situations where 58 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:20,359 Speaker 1: your first thought is what to add. Maybe you do 59 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:24,800 Speaker 1: need to add something, but maybe you need less of something. 60 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:29,720 Speaker 1: Try to look at both angles. There is great power 61 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:34,279 Speaker 1: in subtracting. But even when adding and subtracting are both 62 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: reasonable options. Subtracting might produce a simpler and more economical solution, 63 00:04:41,839 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 1: and there's something very satisfying about that. In the meantime, 64 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:53,119 Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making 65 00:04:53,120 --> 00:05:02,720 Speaker 1: the most of our time. M Hey everybody, I'd love 66 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 1: to hear from you. You can send me your tips, 67 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:08,760 Speaker 1: your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, 68 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:13,840 Speaker 1: Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E 69 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:18,680 Speaker 1: the number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can 70 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 1: also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at 71 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:25,239 Speaker 1: i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled 72 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:27,920 Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look 73 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:36,279 Speaker 1: forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production 74 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:39,720 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, 75 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 76 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:45,159 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.