Every productivity article I read seemed to focus on the same message: do more. Add this morning routine. Incorporate this new habit. Wake up earlier. Exercise longer. Meditate daily. Track everything. The underlying assumption was always that improvement meant addition—piling more activities, more discipline, and more structure onto already busy lives.
I tried this approach for years. My to-do lists grew longer, my habit tracker more complex, and my days increasingly scheduled. Yet despite all this effort, I felt scattered, overwhelmed, and oddly enough, less productive. It wasn’t until a particularly stressful period forced me to strip back to essentials that I discovered a counterintuitive truth: sometimes the most powerful habit change isn’t adding something new—it’s removing something that doesn’t serve you.
I call these “subtraction habits,” and they’ve been game-changers for me. Instead of committing to checking email only twice a day (an addition habit), I removed email notifications from my phone entirely (a subtraction habit). Rather than adding a complex evening planning session, I subtracted my habit of bringing my laptop to bed. Instead of adding more organization systems, I subtracted excess possessions that required organizing in the first place.
The psychological difference is significant. Addition habits require willpower and active maintenance. Subtraction habits, once implemented, often require no ongoing effort—they simply remove the option altogether. Deleting social media apps from your phone is a one-time decision that eliminates hundreds of potential daily distractions without requiring constant vigilance.
Our brains and environments have limited capacity. Every new habit, no matter how small, consumes mental bandwidth and physical space. By thoughtfully removing habits that drain energy or attention without proportional benefits, you create the breathing room necessary for your most important habits to thrive.
I’ve found that asking “What can I remove?” before “What can I add?” leads to more sustainable changes. My current approach to habit formation now involves an honest inventory of existing habits, ruthlessly eliminating those that don’t significantly contribute to my wellbeing or goals, and only then considering what minimal additions might truly enhance my life. This subtraction-first mindset has created more calm, focus, and surprisingly, more progress than all my previous addition-focused approaches combined.
Ripple Habit 