Can you cut back and thrive?
Stopping, eliminating, and otherwise subtracting can feel like failure. That’s not necessarily true.
There are things in life you do not control. The weather tends to dominate this category for me. I also don't control how other people respond to me, nor do I control how the management team takes care of the building in which my apartment exists.
I struggled with that last point this year. I started with a positive attitude. I moved to addressing issues on my own. But when the unit started leaking from every orifice again this spring, I accepted the situation was beyond my control and chose to leave.
I then decided to capitalize on my move and turn this year into The Year Of Cutting Back. Like when you cut back a plant so that it will grow fuller and stronger.1
I have eliminated every unessential physical item in my home. I have whittled down my tech stack. I even chose to close one of my companies.
We often see cutting back as a failure. A retreat in the battle of life.
I don’t. I see subtracting from life — whether that’s removing objects that are no longer essential or stopping efforts that no longer deliver value — as a strategic choice. Making these choices makes room to invest our time into other things. It can also give us energy because we’re no longer weighed down by having to deal with things that no longer fit.
If that sounds strange, consider that you may have subscribed to the assumption that you must keep things going forever. It simply isn’t true. Just because you started a company doesn’t mean you need to run it for the rest of your life. Just because you purchased a piece of furniture doesn’t mean you need to find a place for it (and dust it and polish it) in every place you ever live.
If the idea of cutting back appeals to you, here are some questions to consider:
Does the thought of putting time into this activity energize me?
Does it help me craft the life I want to live for the foreseeable future?
Does it add options to my life or take them away?
Do I need this in my life? What does it provide?
When was the last time I used it? Is it expired?
You’re also welcome to use my calibration process to do a full life review and determine where you’ll invest your time next year.
I hope what you choose to do excites you.
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What you read this year
I took a moment to see which posts were read the most this year. They were:
‣ Creating digital twins of societies: My first WTP interview with Justin E. Lane and F. LeRon Shults from CulturePulse. If you haven't yet read and/or listened to this one, I encourage you to stick it in your holiday folder.
‣ How to show that you care: A short story to illustrate how you can show the people that you serve that you care about them and their problems.
‣ You've been displaced: So often we make exchanges with businesses that no longer exist to serve us. I explored how that plays out and why. This post was one of my favorites this year so I was glad to see it garnered such interest.
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What do you want to read next year?
I'm genuinely curious — are there topics or areas you're more interested in than others? Do you have specific questions you'd like me to explore? Was there a post you liked and want to see me do more of that?
Reply to this email and tell me about it.
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Not that I know the first thing about plants. Mine only require dusting.