Why Subtraction Has the Power to Increase the Value of Everything We Keep

We pile on "to-dos," but don't consider "stop doings."  We buy "new and improved" possessions, but don't remove old ones.  We create incentives for the good habits we want to cultivate, but don't get rid of obstacles to our new behaviors.  Every day, we neglect a basic way to make things better.  We fail to subtract.

Why is this?  It's true that subtraction can be hard to pull off, because there are biological, cultural, and economic forces that push us toward more.  But we have a choice.  We can learn to do better, and reap all the benefits of less stress, less busywork, and fewer things to divert us from what we really care about.

Exploring less

Wow.  Editing can really make a message pithy.  "We don't subtract.  Why?  Biological, cultural, and economic forces push us toward more.  But we have a choice.  We can do better, and reap all the benefits of less."  115 words pared down to 29.  I'm the Hemingway of simplicity bloggers!

Here are some questions we should all ask ourselves:

• Do I have more stuff than I used to?

• Am I busier today than I was a few years ago?

• Do I spend more time writing new content (or taking pictures, or adding to hobby supplies) than editing (or using) what's already there?

• Do I spend more time acquiring information from the zillions of sources available than thinking about and refining what I already know (that is, turning mere data to wisdom)?

I you answered yes to any of these questions, you're not alone.  As we strive to improve ourselves and our lives, we overwhelmingly choose to add.  Our culture pushes us to do this because we've built an economy that depends on endless growth, but even our early ancestors learned to preserve and hoard what they had in preparation for times of scarcity.  Adding might be a survival mechanism.

But for most of us today, scarcity is something we rarely, if ever, experience.  We don't lack:

• food (we consume more calories per person today than in 1970)

• shelter (the average house is almost three times bigger than in 1950)

• clothing (we purchase 172% more clothing than we did in the 1960s)

• transportation (there are more passenger vehicles registered in the U.S. than there are drivers licensed to operate them)

• entertainment (for example, streaming services just keep growing)

• furniture, trinkets, or doodads (self-storage facilities outnumber all of the McDonalds, Starbucks, and Subway outlets in the U.S. combined)

If anything, we're drowning in excess... but many of us still find it difficult to subtract.

What would happen if we thought differently about subtraction?  Instead of equating less with loss, we could focus on what we gain:  space, time, money, and freedom.  Alternative words like select, reveal, refine, or edit can indicate a positive outcome.

Adding more doesn't necessarily add value, but subtraction can be powerful.  Consider this:  If you have two of anything, what difference does adding or subtracting make?  Take one picture away from a group of two on the wall, resulting in one picture.  In this new situation, one picture represents 100% of the total.  It gets 100% of your attention when you look at that wall.  Adding one picture to the group of two results in three pictures, and now each picture is only 33% of the total.  You've actually reduced the value of each picture by adding to the group.

Owning less magnifies the value of everything you keep.  As author Gretchen Rubin* explains, "Having less often leads us to use our things more often and with more enjoyment."  Having less makes each item special and meaningful.

Remember this when you're paring down your wardrobe, kitchen, office, or souvenirs and sentimental items.  By weeding out the extras, you discover the true gems.

* This blog is supported by readers, not ads.  If you purchase through my links, I may earn a small commission.

Once I've cleared away the things I don't need, use, or love, my surroundings reveal to me, and to others, the things that matter most to me.  Careful curation means that my space and my possessions reflect my truest identity.

Gretchen Rubin