Why you should prune before you plan
Simon Breakspear
25 September 2025
The Idea: Pruning Before Planning
Before moving into strategic planning for the year ahead, we must deliberately carve out time to systematically prune back our existing initiatives and activities first.
30-Second Version
- Annual improvement plans often become overloaded when we continually add new initiatives without subtracting old ones.
- Systematic pruning before planning creates essential clarity and space
- Committing explicitly to strategic subtraction ensures your team isn’t overloaded and can genuinely engage with conversations about decision-making about future improvement priorities.
The Full Read
Most of us approach annual strategic planning by reviewing our current work and moving through a process to decide on new priorities and initiatives to add to our already overflowing plate. The result is often a bloated, unrealistic improvement plan that spreads our energy too thin and delivers shallow outcomes at best.
Instead, we should adopt a deliberate rhythm of pruning before planning. This means intentionally scheduling time to systematically subtract tasks, programs, and initiatives before adding anything new. Engaging in strategic subtraction forces us to critically evaluate existing commitments and ensures we have the bandwidth to implement genuine improvements effectively.
Why This Matters
- Creates space for meaningful change: By pruning first, you clear room for deeper, more impactful initiatives.
- Prevents ‘improvement theatre’: Avoids superficial changes being made by focusing your efforts and resources clearly.
- Builds a sustainable workload: Respect your team’s capacity by avoiding overload, keeping energy and morale high.
How to Practically Prune Before Planning
- List current initiatives: Document everything currently running or planned.
- Identify candidates for subtraction: Consider what could be stopped entirely or moved to routine maintenance.
- Make explicit decisions: Clearly outline and communicate what is being removed before introducing new goals or activities.
Small step → Before beginning your next annual planning process, set aside dedicated time for pruning. Identify at least two initiatives or activities that your team can intentionally subtract to create meaningful space for your future improvement plans.
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