The Productivity Show

The Subtraction Strategy: Why Removing Friction Beats Adding Goals Every Time (TPS620)

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Most productivity advice tells you to add: more goals, more apps, more habits, more trackers, more systems. But what if the fastest path to better results isn’t adding anything at all—it’s subtraction? In this episode, Thanh and Brooks explore why removing friction beats adding motivation, and how a subtraction audit can transform your productivity faster than any new resolution.

Visit www.asianefficiency.com for more productivity tips and tactics.

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Listen to this episode (MP3)

Cheat Sheet
  • Top 3 Productivity Resources [1:37]
  • The weekly review question that uncovers hidden hours you didn’t know you had [7:24]
  • The one-inbox rule that made it easier to capture — and actually find — ideas later [11:24]
  • The new device ritual both hosts use to make every app earn its place back [21:44]
  • The 15-minutes-a-day method that makes decluttering actually stick [29:40]
  • Why “maybe” is just another way of saying no [35:45]
  • The AI side effect that quietly cancelled Thanh’s app subscriptions [38:50]
    • Links
    • Shopify
    • Keeper Security
    • Even Realities
    • 25X Productivity Coaching
    • Obsidian Web Clipper
    • Bose Ultra Open Earbuds
    • Skin in the Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
    • Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
    • The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
    • Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
    • OmniFocus
    • Drafts
    • Evernote
    • Things
    • DEVONthink
    • Mike Vardy
    • OpenAI Codex
    • NAPO
    • Hell Yeah or No — Derek Sivers (article)
    • Hell Yeah or No by Derek Sivers
    • David Sparks / MacSparky

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