THE 30-SECOND SYSTEM
* The Problem: We try to fix our work/life by adding complexity (more habits, more apps, more OKRs).
* The Fix: The "Stop Doing" List (Via Negativa).
* The Outcome: You make the car faster by removing sandbags, not by adding a spoiler.
Happy New Year’s Eve!
I don’t know about you, but I love this weird quiet week between Christmas and New Year’s. Even if I am not travelling, I usually exhaust my leaves balance and spend this week chilling with family - no emails, no specific plans for the week. Time feels optional.
If you are reading this, you are probably the type who is already plotting their world domination for 2026. You likely have a fresh notebook, a list of aggressive OKRs, color coded resolutions, one of which is possibly to run your first marathon.
I usually do that too (true story). But this year, I am trying something different.
Instead of adding new “software” to my life (more habits, more goals, more apps), I am trying to remove the bugs. In engineering, this is called Via Negativa. You don't make the car faster by adding a bigger engine; you make it faster by taking the sandbags out of the trunk.
So, I am not making any “to do” lists for 2026. I am making my “stop doing” list. And here are the 3 things I am leaving behind in 2025.
1.The “I’ll Just FIx It” Reflex
The Bad Habit- I (and am assuming I am not alone in this) have a bad habit of hiring very smart people and then doing their job instead of letting them do it. When they hit a roadblock, I jump in to fix the copy or tweak the design because “it’s just faster if I do it”.
The Truth- This doesn’t make me a hero. It makes me a Router (a constraint). If every decision has to pass through me, I am personally becoming the bottleneck in the speed of my team.
The Fix- I am retiring the “let me handle it” instinct. When a team member asks “what should I do?”, I say “go figure” (naah, joking - more like “What do you propose?”). Will a few mistakes happen? Maybe. But overall will they do a better job than me? I am sure they will- I hired them because they can do it better than me.
A Personal Win- Entering 2026 knowing that the world (and the project) will survive without my constant intervention.
2.The “Multitasking” Lie
The Bad Habit- Believing I can make a strategy presentation, check whatsapp, and dream about lunch simultaneously. It’s a lie.
The Truth- Humans cannot multitask. We just context-switch rapidly. Every switch costs energy.
The Fix- Deep work happens offline. I will stop my open door / open browser policy for my deep work time slots.
A Personal Win- Being actually present for the important stuff (both professional and personal) rather than buffering on a work problem in the background.
3.The “Not Yet Good Enough” Paralysis
The Bad Habit- Waiting for the idea (or the deck, or the campaign) to be “good enough” before showing it to anyone.
The Truth- This doesn’t mean high standards; it just means anxiety - I don’t want people to judge me “I expected more from you”. In a system, feedback is data. By delaying the launch to “perfect” it, I am delaying the data I need to actually fix it. I am optimising a ghost.
The Fix- I am stopping the overthinking loop. If I find myself getting into loops of refinement before anyone has taken even a single look at it - I’ll take that as my trigger and take a small action on it. Either share it with someone, or put it out. And then build as the data flows in.
A Personal Win- I stop carrying the heavy mental burden of “unfinished projects”. I trade the anxiety of starting for the relief of shipping.
The Toast
Instead of adding a resolution, try subtracting. Pick a “sandbag” that is slowing you down - micro-managing, perfectionism, being constantly distracted - and leave it in 2025. Make your car go faster.
And as I wrap this last post of 2025, I want to leave you with a wish I am wishing myself (and my kids), courtesy Neil Gaimen:
“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.
New mistakes, glorious mistakes, amazing mistakes.
Because if you are, then you are making new things, learning, living, and changing your world.
So, don’t stop. Don’t freeze. Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, do it”.
See you in 2026. Cheers.
Sumeshwer
PS: If you are a nerd like me, or are looking for a read during these last few days of the holiday break - sharing some literature on Via Negativa.
The Book:
Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less by Leidy Klotz
The Thesis: We instinctively equate “adding” with “competence”.
The Reality: The best designs come from removal, not addition. A scientific argument for why doing less is actually physics, not laziness.
The Article:
The Behavioral Scientist - It is free, it is written by Klotz himself, and it details the actual “Lego Experiment” and “Grid Experiment” that prove that our brains are wired to add complexity. Read here: https://behavioralscientist.org/subtract-why-getting-to-less-can-mean-thinking-more/
