The wisdom in subtraction

In 2020, the abrupt shift toward a remote set-up left many organizations grappling with the challenge of managing and motivating employees without the convenience of in-person interactions. I remember how my knee-jerk response, along with my leadership team, was to require more meetings with various objectives like online check-ins, task alignment, and culture building. These daily Zoom discussions were supposed to be a tool for resolving issues and maintaining a good working relationship amid the distance. Instead, we received feedback that the frequent and sometimes unnecessary meetings were not only hampering productivity, they were also contributing to employee burnout. This compelled us to revisit our way of working so we could have fewer but more impactful online meetings.

When faced with a challenge, our default tendency is to think about what we can add to a situation. Social scientists point out that this mindset of accumulation stems from evolutionary wiring to keep stocking up for difficult days. As a result, we are always driven to ask what they can do more or have more of, and try to exhaust all the possibilities. This shows up not just in the way we propose solutions to problems but also in our approach to self-optimization or personal betterment. For instance, when people make new year’s resolutions, they often just focus on things they would like to acquire, like a new habit or a new skill.

What we often overlook are the profound benefits of considering the inverse question: What can we gain from taking things away? There are times when the easier and smarter path to our objective is actually to subtract rather than add. This principle has a longstanding presence in various wisdom traditions. As the famous quote from Lao Tzu goes: “To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.” In contemporary discussions, there is also a growing focus on the art of subtraction as a method for improving situations. The Tiny House movement advocates for minimalistic living, where people forego unnecessary rooms for small, resource-efficient homes and a lifestyle that is not weighed down by possessions. Entrepreneur Tim Ferriss promotes the concept of a four-hour workweek, asserting that one less workday leads to increased productivity because people are more driven to work smarter while also getting much-needed rest.

The key to effective subtraction lies in being able to identify and have the detachment to eliminate the unnecessary elements—anything redundant, overly excessive, or superfluous. In fact, a wiser approach would be to exercise restraint in adding these elements in the first place. However, the decision to do less could feel quite counterintuitive, especially in a culture that often values visible productivity. Since success is often measured in tangible outputs, adding something means you have something to show for the work you put in. In contrast, the value of subtraction can be overshadowed by the perceived lack of results.

I am reminded of how my mom decided to turn down several work promotions that entailed working longer hours in the office because she wanted to make sure that she could be home by 7 p.m. every night to have dinner with our family. This commitment became a story she proudly shared when she retired from the company a few decades later. Even when offered a consultancy role, she declined so she could give her grandchildren her full attention. While conventional success metrics might focus on career advancement, for her, the absence of these promotions became a badge of honor my mom wore proudly.

Perhaps the optimal mindset is not to favor one approach over the other, but to recognize that they are mutually reinforcing strategies. By training our minds to appreciate both the potential for addition and subtraction in any situation, we might find new possibilities to consider. Going back to the online meeting example, we lessened the frequency from daily check-ins to a bi-weekly alignment. Simultaneously, we had a shared task sheet where we added pertinent updates whenever necessary. This dual approach facilitated effective team communication while reducing Zoom drudgery.

The symbolic fresh start that comes with a new year always encourages reflection on personal growth. As we use this time to think about how we can improve our lives in the year ahead, let us resist the temptation to focus solely on the things we can add and consider what we might need to subtract as well. It is not merely about accumulating more but about discerning what genuinely contributes to our well-being and eliminating what detracts from it. May we cultivate the self-awareness, and more importantly, the courage, to let go of what no longer serves us.

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eleanor@shetalksasia.com