Planning Is Not All About Adding

Let us ask ourselves, what can we SUBTRACT?

It’s almost less than three weeks before the year 2020 ends.

And most of you, probably are planning or setting goals for 2021. We often ask ourselves,

• What is our target for our business in 2021?
• How to compensate for the loss we have this year 2020?
• What can we do next?

As you’ve noticed, most of the questions are based on what can I ADD? But there’s another way of setting goals for 2021.

Let us ask ourselves, what can we SUBTRACT?

• What are the things/activities we should stop doing?
• What commitments do I need to revisit or uncommit myself?
• Are there relationships that are unhealthy that I need to cut-off?

This method of asking yourself what things to remove, reduce, and eliminate is called Zero-Based Thinking. Popularized by Brian Tracy, he explains that:

“When you begin to plan your long-term future, one of the most valuable exercises you can engage in is zero-based thinking. In zero-based thinking, you ask this question: Knowing what I now know, is there anything that I am doing today that I wouldn’t start again if I had to do it over? No matter who you are or what you are doing, there are activities and relationships in your life that, knowing what you now know, you wouldn’t get involved in.”

Similarly, Greg Mckeown, author of Essentialism, suggests we can ask,

If I don’t own this item, how much would I pay to obtain it?

If I don’t have this opportunity, how much would I be willing to sacrifice in order to obtain it?

If I wasn’t already involved in this project, how hard would I work to get on it?

As you plan for 2021, try the ZBT method. Pick an area of your life and ask the ZBT Question.

Having clarity on what to subtract in our life is as essential as what to add. It can work both for your personal and professional life. With this, you can find ways to cut your losses and choose alternatives.

It’s a good thing to remind ourselves that sometimes, less is better, and less is more.