The untapped science of less
"Consider the following questions: Do your resolutions more often start with “I should do more of . . .” than with “I should do less of ...”? Do you spend more time acquiring information—whether through podcasts, websites, or conversation—than you spend distilling what you already know?
"How about: Do you add new rules in your household or workplace more often than you take rules away? Have you started more organizations, initiatives, and activities than you have phased out? Do you think more about providing for the disadvantaged than about removing unearned privilege?
"And: Do you have more stuff than you used to? Are you busier today than you were three years ago?
"If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’re not alone. In our striving to improve our lives, our work, and our society, we overwhelmingly add.
"In each of these situations, we’re all doing essentially the same thing—trying to change things from how they are to how we want them to be. And in this ubiquitous act of change, one option is always to add to what exists, be it objects, ideas, or social systems. Another option is to subtract from what is already there.
"Subtraction is the act of getting to less, but it is not the same as doing less. In fact, getting to less often means doing, or at least thinking, more."
Abstract: Subtract: Why Getting to Less Can Mean Thinking More