Leidy Klotz was a guest in our online zoom event at Behavioural Science Club. Discussing his book was a pleasure. Subtract is for whenever we are designing and problem-solving and we learnt that our minds tend to add before taking away. According to Klotz, less is harder for us to imagine and the key takeaways for this book were to try less before more, think to add AND subtract and zoom out to see the field and you can stop 'doing'.
A very accessible book that brings lots of thought and great stories of examples of where less can be more.

"Subtract," by Leidy Klotz, has implications for economics, sociology, politics, education, city planning, psychology and many other fields of immense importance. The central theme of this work of non-fiction is that "to transform systems, we need to find the essence, which means we need to subtract detail." Our default setting is to add rather than to take away. More possessions, more activities, and more knowledge make us feel wealthy and important. However, what price do we pay for "more" of everything? Is it possible that having fewer possessions, a shorter to-do list, and a smaller number of facts rattling around in our brains might lead to a more productive use of our time?

Such talk is counterintuitive. We are hard-wired to add stuff, and most of us find subtracting painful. The author, citing studies conducted by him and others, along with anecdotes about Legos, architects, and climate change, explains why we should: 1) Take a hard look at each untenable situation that we face. 2) Consider how subtraction might help us solve problems more efficiently. 3) Publicize the idea of subtraction so that it becomes part of the conversation. 4) Take bold steps to use addition and subtraction in the most optimal manner in order to achieve the most desirable results.

Klotz brings up Costa Rica as a great example of this philosophy. This beautiful Central American country has no army and a small gross domestic product, but its citizens have a higher life expectancy than Americans. Costa Ricans do not seek to enrich themselves by building plants that pollute. Instead they prioritize the preservation of ecosystems over the attainment of wealth. Costa Rica has hundreds of species of birds, rain forests, bodies of clean water, and thriving crops of coffee beans and bananas. Its leaders are taking steps to reduce carbon emissions and recycle the carbon that they have to plant more trees. Although this book has a vital message, it may not appeal to all readers. The prose is dense, a bit slow-moving, and weighed down with too much jargon. Still, "Subtract" offers sensible strategies for overhauling our culture of clutter, greed, and unsustainable growth. By adding ad infinitum, we are robbing ourselves of space, a pristine environment, peace, and joy.