The Radical Essentialist

Protocol

The Radical Essentialist

High performance is not about doing more. It's about removing everything that holds you back.

Old Way
  • Add more productivity apps
  • Say yes to keep relationships
  • Accumulate skills 'just in case'
  • Optimize every minute of the day
  • Stack supplements and biohacks
New Way
  • Delete apps until only essentials remain
  • Say no to protect capacity for the exceptional
  • Subtract activities that don't compound
  • Create voids where clarity can emerge
  • Remove inflammatory inputs first
Myth

Common Myth

Success comes from adding more: more habits, more tools, more connections, more effort.

Does this sound familiar?

  • Calendar full of lukewarm commitments you accepted out of guilt
  • Phone cluttered with apps you haven't opened in months
  • Relationships that drain more energy than they provide
  • Goals 6-25 stealing focus from goals 1-5
  • Constant feeding preventing metabolic flexibility
  • Decision fatigue from trivial choices that should be automated
"

The oldest and most effective way to improve is via negativa—by removal of what is wrong, what does not work, and what does not belong.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Mechanism

The Four Subtraction Systems

Click a system to explore its habits

Cognitive Subtraction

Cognitive Subtraction

Eliminate decision fatigue, invert goals, and remove mental clutter through razors and algorithms.

Environmental Pruning

Environmental Pruning

Strip digital and physical environments to essentials. The 2-minute rule. The packing party.

Social Boundaries

Social Boundaries

Prune draining relationships. Master the art of no. Protect capacity for the exceptional.

Biological Reset

Biological Reset

Subtract food, stimulants, and comfort. Fasting, cold exposure, and cue removal.

Getting Started

Step01

Week 1: Install the Razors

Start with the decision filters. The Hell Yeah Razor and One-Touch Rule prevent new accumulation before you start clearing the backlog.

Step02

Week 2: Clear the Environment

Digital sunset, 2-minute purge, surface clearing. Remove the visual noise that fragments attention.

Step03

Week 3: Build the No Muscle

Deploy the awkward pause. Practice the soft no. Conduct your first friendship audit.

Step04

Week 4: Biological Subtraction

Implement 16:8 fasting. Cut caffeine after noon. Lower the thermostat. Let the body reset.

Step05

Month 2: Deep Protocols

Execute the 5/25 audit, 30-day digital declutter, and 24-hour fast. These require foundation habits first.

Step06

Browse All Cards

Explore the full deck and find protocols that match your current friction points.

Glossary

01

Via Negativa

The path of negation. Improvement through removal rather than addition. What you don't do matters more than what you do.

02

Subtraction Neglect

The cognitive bias causing humans to solve problems by adding rather than removing, even when subtraction is more efficient.

03

Hell Yeah Razor

If your reaction to an opportunity isn't 'Hell Yeah!', the answer is No. Eliminates lukewarm commitments.

04

Sunk Cost Burn

Ask 'Would I start this today?' Past investment is irrelevant to future decisions.

05

The Chronic Accumulator

The anti-identity. Someone who adds productivity hacks on top of broken routines instead of dismantling the routine itself.

06

Zero-Based Week

Start with zero commitments and add back only what passes the Hell Yeah test. Reveals how much of your schedule is legacy.

When It Happens

  • Morning: Premeditatio Malorum

    10m

    Visualize three obstacles. Script If-Then responses. Subtract the surprise before the day begins.

  • Throughout Day: One-Touch Rule

    Ongoing

    Every email, document, message: Delete, Delegate, Do, or Defer. Never touch twice.

  • Transitions: 2-Minute Purge

    2m

    When moving between rooms or tasks, fix any visible clutter under 2 minutes immediately.

  • Evening: Digital Sunset

    60m before bed

    All screens off. Phone in another room. Only analog input or output allowed.

  • Weekly: Not-To-Do Review

    5m

    Scan forbidden activities. Note violations. Identify triggers. Reinforce boundaries.

Cards in Deck

36

Core Systems

4

Playbooks

5

Foundation Habits

12

I subtract. I do not accumulate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Protocol Playbooks

Curated sequences of habits designed to be practiced together. Click a playbook to see its cards in the deck below.

Decision Razors
4 cards

Decision Razors

Install the filters that prevent new accumulation. Hell Yeah, One-Touch, Not-To-Do.

Apply the Hell Yeah Razor
Review Your Not-To-Do List
Execute the One-Touch Rule

+1 more habits

Digital Detox Sprint
6 cards

Digital Detox Sprint

30-day protocol to rebuild your relationship with technology from scratch.

Initiate Digital Sunset
Conduct the App Slaughter
Audit Your Subscriptions

+3 more habits

Social Capacity Recovery
6 cards

Social Capacity Recovery

Audit relationships, build the no muscle, and protect time for energizers.

Deploy the Awkward Pause
Use the Calendar Default
Establish a Policy No

+3 more habits

Metabolic Reset
6 cards

Metabolic Reset

Fasting protocols from 16:8 to 72-hour. Subtract food to activate repair.

Implement the 16:8 Fast
Subtract Caffeine After Noon
Lower the Thermostat

+3 more habits

Quarterly Purge
5 cards

Quarterly Purge

Deep subtraction protocols for monthly/quarterly execution. 5/25, Sunk Cost, Zero-Based.

Execute the 5/25 Audit
Apply the Sunk Cost Razor
Run a Zero-Based Week

+2 more habits

Quests

Challenges to accelerate your transformation. Click a quest to see its target cards.

Initiation

The First Cut

Install the foundational filters to stop the flow of non-essentials and clear physical clutter.

"Addition is easy. Subtraction is art. Begin the surgery on your daily life."

7 FOUNDATION tier habits in 7 days
7 cards
View Quest Cards
System Mastery

The Sovereign Boundary

Master the social filters and rejection protocols required to protect your highest priorities.

"Other people's priorities are a virus. Subtraction is your immunity."

Complete Social Boundaries system
9 cards
View Quest Cards
Titan Trial

The Void Protocol

Execute a 72-hour water fast to reset your biological systems and test mental resilience.

"Strip away the fuel to find the fire. True essentialism begins when the biological noise stops."

1 TITAN tier habits
1 cards
View Quest Cards

The Full Deck

36 habits across 4 core systems

Systems:
Playbooks:
Apply the Hell Yeah Razorfoundation

Apply the Hell Yeah Razor

Evaluate new commitments; if not 'Hell Yeah,' decline immediately.
⏱ 30s⚡ Low
Cognitive Subtraction
Review Your Not-To-Do Listfoundation

Review Your Not-To-Do List

Scan your forbidden activities list and note any violations this week.
⏱ 5m⚡ Low
Cognitive Subtraction
Execute the One-Touch Rulefoundation

Execute the One-Touch Rule

Handle each email or document once: delete, delegate, do, or defer.
⏱ 1m⚡ Low
Cognitive Subtraction
Write the Failure Listgrowth

Write the Failure List

Define your nightmare outcome and map the habits that would cause it.
⏱ 15m⚡ Medium
Cognitive Subtraction
Practice Premeditatio Malorumgrowth

Practice Premeditatio Malorum

Visualize three obstacles for today and script If-Then responses for each.
⏱ 10m⚡ Medium
Cognitive Subtraction
Build a Stop-Doing Listgrowth

Build a Stop-Doing List

Identify one current activity producing no results and cease it immediately.
⏱ 10m⚡ Medium
Cognitive Subtraction
Execute the 5/25 Auditmastery

Execute the 5/25 Audit

List 25 goals, circle top 5, treat remaining 20 as enemies to avoid.
⏱ 45m⚡ High
Cognitive Subtraction
Apply the Sunk Cost Razormastery

Apply the Sunk Cost Razor

Ask 'Would I start this today?' for each ongoing project; kill those that fail.
⏱ 30m⚡ High
Cognitive Subtraction
Run a Zero-Based Weektitan

Run a Zero-Based Week

Start with zero commitments; add back only what passes the Hell Yeah test.
⏱ 2h⚡ High
Cognitive Subtraction
Execute the 2-Minute Purgefoundation

Execute the 2-Minute Purge

Fix any visible clutter that takes under 2 minutes immediately.
⏱ 2m⚡ Low
Environmental Pruning
Initiate Digital Sunsetfoundation

Initiate Digital Sunset

Power off all screens 60 minutes before bed; place phone in another room.
⏱ 1m⚡ Low
Environmental Pruning
Clear One Surface Dailyfoundation

Clear One Surface Daily

Select one horizontal surface and remove everything that doesn't belong.
⏱ 5m⚡ Low
Environmental Pruning
Conduct the App Slaughtergrowth

Conduct the App Slaughter

Review all phone apps; delete two for every one installed this month.
⏱ 15m⚡ Medium
Environmental Pruning
Audit Your Subscriptionsgrowth

Audit Your Subscriptions

Review all recurring payments and cancel anything not used in 30 days.
⏱ 20m⚡ Medium
Environmental Pruning
Implement Notification Fastinggrowth

Implement Notification Fasting

Disable all non-essential notifications; check apps on your schedule only.
⏱ 10m⚡ Medium
Environmental Pruning
Run the 30-Day Digital Decluttermastery

Run the 30-Day Digital Declutter

Remove all optional technologies for 30 days; reintroduce only what passes the value test.
⏱ 30m⚡ High
Environmental Pruning
Execute the Packing Partymastery

Execute the Packing Party

Box all possessions; unpack only what you use over 21 days; donate the rest.
⏱ 4h⚡ High
Environmental Pruning
Survive a 48-Hour Digital Fasttitan

Survive a 48-Hour Digital Fast

Disconnect from all screens for 48 hours; use only analog tools.
⏱ 48h⚡ High
Environmental Pruning
Deploy the Awkward Pausefoundation

Deploy the Awkward Pause

When asked for a commitment, pause and count to three before responding.
⏱ 10s⚡ Low
Social Boundaries
Use the Calendar Defaultfoundation

Use the Calendar Default

Respond 'Let me check my calendar' to buy time before any commitment.
⏱ 5s⚡ Low
Social Boundaries
Establish a Policy Nofoundation

Establish a Policy No

Create personal rules that make 'no' a policy rather than a personal rejection.
⏱ 5m⚡ Low
Social Boundaries
Conduct a Friendship Auditgrowth

Conduct a Friendship Audit

Review recent interactions; label contacts as Energizers, Drainers, or Neutrals.
⏱ 20m⚡ Medium
Social Boundaries
Practice the Soft Nogrowth

Practice the Soft No

Decline requests by offering a lesser alternative you can actually do.
⏱ 1m⚡ Medium
Social Boundaries
Run a Complaint Fastgrowth

Run a Complaint Fast

Go 24 hours without complaining or gossiping; reset if you fail.
⏱ N/A⚡ Medium
Social Boundaries
Execute Social Pruningmastery

Execute Social Pruning

Cancel one planned interaction with a Drainer and reallocate to an Energizer.
⏱ 10m⚡ High
Social Boundaries
Use the Deprioritization Responsemastery

Use the Deprioritization Response

When given new tasks, ask what to stop doing to make room.
⏱ 1m⚡ High
Social Boundaries
Decline Three Requests This Weektitan

Decline Three Requests This Week

Intentionally say no to three requests you would normally accept.
⏱ N/A⚡ High
Social Boundaries
Implement the 16:8 Fastfoundation

Implement the 16:8 Fast

Restrict eating to an 8-hour window; fast for 16 hours daily.
⏱ N/A⚡ Low
Biological Reset
Subtract Caffeine After Noonfoundation

Subtract Caffeine After Noon

Consume no caffeine within 10 hours of your target bedtime.
⏱ N/A⚡ Low
Biological Reset
Lower the Thermostatfoundation

Lower the Thermostat

Set bedroom temperature to 65-68°F before sleep.
⏱ 30s⚡ Low
Biological Reset
Take the Cold Finishgrowth

Take the Cold Finish

End every shower with 30-60 seconds of cold water.
⏱ 1m⚡ Medium
Biological Reset
Remove One Inflammatory Foodgrowth

Remove One Inflammatory Food

Identify and eliminate one food that causes digestive or energy issues.
⏱ N/A⚡ Medium
Biological Reset
Implement a Cue Removalgrowth

Implement a Cue Removal

Identify a bad habit's trigger and physically remove it from your environment.
⏱ 10m⚡ Medium
Biological Reset
Execute a 24-Hour Fastmastery

Execute a 24-Hour Fast

Consume only water for 24 consecutive hours once per week.
⏱ 24h⚡ High
Biological Reset
Script an If-Then for Bad Habitsmastery

Script an If-Then for Bad Habits

Write a specific If-Then plan to rewire one automatic behavior.
⏱ 15m⚡ High
Biological Reset
Complete a 72-Hour Fasttitan

Complete a 72-Hour Fast

Consume only water and electrolytes for 72 consecutive hours.
⏱ 72h⚡ High
Biological Reset

Sources & References

External reading that informed this stack.

6 links

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