Save to My Latticework unsave

Addition by Subtraction
Addition by Subtraction
Addition by Subtraction
save0 saved view9.8K views
Share this with your network
Share this with your network
Overview

Commonly used in art and sport, but just as relevant for product design, UX, architecture, entrepreneurship, personal development, and al ...

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Roges enim Aristonem, bonane ei videantur haec: vacuitas doloris, divitiae, valitudo; Quod autem principium officii quaerunt, melius quam Pyrrho; An eum discere ea mavis, quae cum plane perdidiceriti nihil sciat? Utrum igitur tibi litteram videor an totas paginas commovere? Hoc etsi multimodis reprehendi potest, tamen accipio, quod dant.

Ita redarguitur ipse a sese, convincunturque scripta eius probitate ipsius ac moribus. Sic enim censent, oportunitatis esse beate vivere. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Sic igitur in homine perfectio ista in eo potissimum, quod est optimum, id est in virtute, laudatur. Ut proverbia non nulla veriora sint quam vestra dogmata. Ut scias me intellegere, primum idem esse dico voluptatem, quod ille don. Sed nonne merninisti licere mihi ista probare, quae sunt a te dicta? Eaedem enim utilitates poterunt eas labefactare atque pervertere. Et quod est munus, quod opus sapientiae? Beatus autem esse in maximarum rerum timore nemo potest. Sed erat aequius Triarium aliquid de dissensione nostra iudicare. Sed quid ages tandem, si utilitas ab amicitia, ut fit saepe, defecerit?

Nam Pyrrho, Aristo, Erillus iam diu abiecti. Si qua in iis corrigere voluit, deteriora fecit. Qualem igitur hominem natura inchoavit?

Share this model with your network to be smarter, faster, together!
Actionable Takeaways
  • Pause before you add. 

Whether you’re facing a pro ...

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Si quidem, inquit, tollerem, sed relinquo. Haec quo modo conveniant, non sane intellego. Quaesita enim virtus est, non quae relinqueret naturam, sed quae tueretur. Sin tantum modo ad indicia veteris memoriae cognoscenda, curiosorum. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Sic vester sapiens magno aliquo emolumento commotus cicuta, si opus erit, dimicabit. Que Manilium, ab iisque M. Nunc haec primum fortasse audientis servire debemus.

Aliud est enim poëtarum more verba fundere, aliud ea, quae dicas, ratione et arte distinguere. Quare conare, quaeso. Atqui iste locus est, Piso, tibi etiam atque etiam confirmandus, inquam; Gloriosa ostentatio in constituendo summo bono. Atqui, inquam, Cato, si istud optinueris, traducas me ad te totum licebit. Quae si potest singula consolando levare, universa quo modo sustinebit? Quorum sine causa fieri nihil putandum est. Et nemo nimium beatus est; Paulum, cum regem Persem captum adduceret, eodem flumine invectio? Num igitur eum postea censes anxio animo aut sollicito fuisse? Non minor, inquit, voluptas percipitur ex vilissimis rebus quam ex pretiosissimis. Quod vestri non item.

Quis est tam dissimile homini. Restant Stoici, qui cum a Peripateticis et Academicis omnia transtulissent, nominibus aliis easdem res secuti sunt. Sed quot homines, tot sententiae; Quae cum dixisset, finem ille. Sin kakan malitiam dixisses, ad aliud nos unum certum vitium consuetudo Latina traduceret. Quid, quod res alia tota est?

Limitations

Addition by Subtraction is a useful concept but obviously will not always apply. Some things are simply complicated and will require greater investment or inputs. Some things can not just be reduced to create more value. Sometimes more, might actually be the answer. 

For example, in this cost-cutting environment for business, it's tempting to assume that this concept just means cutting back on staff. However, another option might involve investing more in sales and marketing or investing to change a product line to better engage with a shifting market. 

In Practice

iPhone.

Apple’s removal of the iPhone’s physical keyboard can be seen as an example of delivering new value with less apparent product.  

Atlassian’s no-jerk policy. 

When software company Atlassian wanted to improve the output of their developers, one of the initiatives they took was to apply a ‘no jerk’ policy. This involved exiting talented but arrogant developers who they believed were holding their respective teams back. 

Build your latticework
This model will help you to:

s

Origins & Resources

As noted in the main summary, Addition by Subtraction has been around in many forms, for many years, and we could not attribute it to one prime thinker. 

Some notable advocates include artist Donald Judd, a leader of the minimalist art movement; the architect Mies Van der Rohe who argued that ‘less is more’ as a key proponent of modernist architecture; Warren Buffett who applies it in his approach to investing, and even Steve Jobs whose focus on a streamlined Apple business model is sometimes cited as his clear prioritisation approach. 

 

My Notes

    Nothing here yet. Join ModelThinkers and login to be the first to comment.
Already a ModelThinkers member? Please log in here.

Oops, That’s Members’ Only!

Fortunately, it only costs US$5/month to Join ModelThinkers and access everything so that you can rapidly discover, learn, and apply the world’s most powerful ideas.

ModelThinkers membership at a glance:

Small mark
UNLOCK EVERYTHING
Access all mental models and premium content.
Small mark
BUILD YOUR LATTICEWORK
Save models to your personal list.
Small mark
QUICKLY MEMORISE MODELS
Use our Learn function to embed models to memory
Small mark
PERSONALISE MODELS
Add your own notes and reminders.
Small mark
BUILD YOUR ‘EXTERNAL BRAIN’
Discover a new idea? Capture it by adding a new model.
Small mark
JOIN THE MT COMMUNITY
Rate models, comment and access exclusive events.

“Yeah, we hate pop ups too. But we wanted to let you know that, with ModelThinkers, we’re making it easier for you to adapt, innovate and create value. We hope you’ll join us and the growing community of ModelThinkers today.”

Arun Pradhan & Shai Desai
CoFounders, ModelThinkers.

You Might Also Like:

- Actionable summaries of the world's most powerful ideas.