Hi there,

Taylor Swift has arrived in Toronto for The Eras Tour, and the whole city is shimmering with excitement — a rare sight in mid-November.

Here at The Difference Lab, we're welcoming TayTay to town by drawing some intentional subtraction wisdom from her songbook.

Are you ready for it?

“Shake It Off”

Strip down your schedule to focus on tasks that truly matter, rather than those done out of habit.  Remember: subtraction has options! Use The Difference Lab S.E.T.S. model: (S)trike tasks altogether, reduce the (E)nergy or (T)ime you spend, and (S)ubstitute ownership. 

“You Need to Calm Down” 

Reduce information overload by cutting down on unnecessary emails, notifications, and digital distractions.

“Time won’t fly, it’s like I’m paralyzed by it…I remember it all too well.”

Regularly assess whether your workload aligns with meaningful goals. Pause to remember why you started certain tasks—if they no longer serve you, it’s okay to let them go. 

“Blank Space” 

Once you’ve stripped away some of your mental clutter, reinvest your newfound time and energy into high-impact priorities, at work and beyond. This could include activities such as deep thinking, working out, or spending time with family and friends. 

“It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me.”
Even Taylor Swift would admit to having a flaw or two. That’s because we’re all anti-heroes at heart. The road to subtraction is paved with what we like to call Onerous Obstacles. From perfectionism to people pleasing, the only way to surmount these obstacles is by recognizing them and learning how to work through them. 

So there you have it: Intentional subtraction – Amy’s version. 

What steps can you take to reach “focus icon” status? Bonus points for infusing them with some Swift verses. Speak now…

ICYMI: Team Health & Effectiveness

McKinsey recently released a report identifying 17 drivers of team health when it comes to effectiveness. It emphasizes that healthier teams significantly benefit entire organizations, improving performance and resilience. Focusing on team dynamics, psychological safety, and clear objectives fosters better engagement and productivity across the board.

In particular, we witness two of the drivers each time we deliver The Difference Lab for Teams program:

1. Being aware of gaps and blind spots, so the right things can be prioritized
2. Making actions and commitments clear so changes materialize (and reevaluating along the way to course-correct)

The whole report is worth a read. Here it is. 

What We're Excited About 

Alignment: Perception vs. Reality

Tom Fishburne, A.K.A. The Marketoonist, has a way of visually capturing workplace nuances, underpinned by research and facts.

Take the above illustration. It’s based on a Harvard Business Review study that found 82% of employees surveyed said they felt strategic alignment in their companies, but when asked to articulate those strategies, there was only 23% alignment. 

We see this come up in The Difference Lab for Teams. Team members often interpret their department or company strategies based on their own roles or functions, and prioritize their efforts accordingly. However, without overarching alignment, priorities are misdirected, which leads to a sense that people aren’t getting to what matters.

Gaining true alignment doesn’t have to be like herding cats. Regular check-ins on what to prioritize – and what to subtract – can keep teams calibrated and effective.

Thank you for reading!

I thought I’d shine a light on one final Taylor Swift-inspired fact: The singer’s six-night concert run in Toronto is expected to have an enormous economic impact, to the tune of nearly $300 million. That’s quite an afterglow! If ever you doubt the impact one person can make, remember this. 

Are you curious about The Difference Lab programs? I'd love to hear from you! Email me: alaski@thedifferencelab.com.

Talk soon!

Amy Laski

Chief Strategy Officer at The Difference Lab

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