+ by -

We're all addicted to more.

More tasks, more goals, more commitments.

But the path to what you actually want often requires less, not more.

I learned this the hard way. I used to have 47 different "systems" for optimization. Morning routines with 12 steps. Evening routines with 8 steps. Productivity apps out the ass. I was optimizing myself into paralysis.

Then I did something radical: I removed 90% of it.

Guess what happened? I got more done in less time with less stress.

Here's why addition by subtraction works.

You have 100 units of mental energy per day. That's it. You can spend it on 100 different things and suck at all of them, or spend it on 10 things and dominate.

Most people choose option one because they're afraid of missing out. They're wrong.

Addition by subtraction isn't just some cute productivity maxim. It's a fundamental law of the universe.

The sculptor doesn't add clay to create a masterpiece.
They chip away at marble until the essence emerges.

A chef doesn't make a dish better by adding more ingredients.
They perfect it by removing what's unnecessary until only the essential flavors remain.

Even in nature, evolution favors efficiency.

Trees shed their leaves.
Snakes shed their skin.
Animals hibernate.

Life itself is a constant process of letting go.

But we've lost this wisdom in our modern addiction to accumulation.

We think a better wardrobe means buying more clothes, when it actually means owning fewer, better pieces.

We think being more productive means adding more to our routine, when it really means removing the unnecessary until only the vital remains.

We think building wealth means earning more money, when it often starts with spending less.

We think expanding our minds means consuming more information, when real wisdom comes from sitting with fewer, deeper thoughts.

Just because you read more books doesn’t mean shit. More knowledge can be consumed by re-reading the same 15 books over a lifetime.

I've seen this play out countless times in my own life and in others.

→ The friend who quit three side projects to finally launch the one that mattered.

→ The guy who stopped trying to please everyone and doubled his business by serving fewer, better customers.

The most successful people I know aren't masters of addition. They're masters of subtraction.

They say no more than they say yes.

They own less than they could afford.

They do fewer things, but do them extraordinarily well.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: Your life is probably too full right now.

Your schedule is too packed.
Your goals are too numerous.
Your space is too cluttered.

The answer isn't adding another productivity system or life hack.

The answer is to start subtracting.

1. List everything you do regularly

2. Cross out anything that doesn't directly contribute to your top 3 goals

3. Stop doing those things

4. Watch your results improve

Success isn't about doing more. It's about doing less, better.

Every successful person I know got there by saying no to almost everything so they could say yes to the few things that mattered.

Your calendar should look boring to other people. Your focus should look obsessive to other people. Your priorities should look narrow to other people.

If they don't, you're probably doing too much.

Stop adding. Start subtracting. Get results.

Less is more. More is less.

What you don’t do determines what you can do.

Choose your don’ts wisely.