Addition through subtraction

One way to make an immediate impact on your workday is to practice the concept of addition through subtraction.

As you move through your day, ask the question: “What can I take out before adding in?”

This is a simple concept, but in practice it’s hard for at least two reasons.

First, when we want to change something about our day, often our initial instinct is to think: “What can I add?” or “What new thing can I introduce to make this better?”

This includes new routines, new work tools, or new schedules.

But the challenge with going straight to adding is that we haven’t done anything to clear out the old stuff first - the physical, mental and emotional stuff.

We haven’t done anything to address the old routines, the old processes, the old beliefs - the old stuff that’s congesting our workday and probably contributed to us wanting to make a change in the first place.

Second, we generally resist letting things go because they’re comfortable or familiar - even if we know they’re not working for us.

We always think that our problem is a lack of time.

But what’s really happening is we move through our workday unfiltered.

We’re not intentional about what we let into our day, and we don’t spend enough time looking for things to clear out.

Try this:

If you feel like you’re in need of a change, avoid the temptation to immediately add something new.

Instead, ask: “What can I subtract to create space in my day?”

Start by identifying just one thing that’s no longer serving you, or that you know you’ve been holding on to for too long.

By subtracting first, you give yourself the gift of a clearer mind and even more room to make better choices.

Go have a great workday.