subtraction (no big math) for a better day

A few years ago, I was in Philly and bought these great hampers at this store, “10,000 Villages.” After years of having my clothes in one big laundry bag, I was excited to have these hampers, but was very very stuck. 

You see... The white hamper, which clearly was going to be for my dirty clothes that were white, had a matching top. And the colorful one didn’t have a top. 

I bought the hampers and then started to think how am I going to find another similarly colorful top, so my hampers will match?

How feng shui of me. 

I ruminated on this dilemma of how to get a matching top… maybe I could find something on Etsy? A thrift store? This went on for some time as I drove, hampers in the trunk, out of the city of Brotherly Love. 

As the thoughts came and went... A huge DUHHH popped into my brain … JUST GET RID OF THE WHITE TOP… Then you’ll have hampers that match. 

And why did this thought hit me? Because I remembered an episode of Freakanomics Radio, I had heard a few weeks prior about subtraction, where Leidy Klotz, a professor of engineering at the University of Virginia talked about our bias against subtraction. 

Here’s the premise: 

There is a human bias against subtraction. 

Try to improve things, we try to think what to add to make things better. 

We are biased about subtracting something. 

My “add a top” to improve the other hamper is an example. 

And in the Freakanomics episode, they go through a bunch of examples of how things can be better thanks to subtraction (I WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR… This isn’t some universal principle, like everything is better when you subtract… it’s that as humans we overlook subtraction as a way to improve our lives).

And the first example they give about subtraction involves BIKES!

You know those little strider bikes you see toddlers gliding around on over sidewalks, they are a result of subtraction. By taking away the gear set, you’ve created an ideal environment for kids to move a bit faster than walking. And kids learn naturally how to balance on two wheels. When they then go to learn to ride a bike with pedals, you don’t need training wheels because they know how to balance. 

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In fact, you perhaps like me learned how to ride a bike with training wheels (example of addition), but in fact training wheels are a poor substitute to getting the hang of feeling balanced on a bike. 

What’s something this week you perhaps could subtract, let go of in your life to get in balance? What perhaps is an easier solution that could involve subtraction to a dilemma you are facing to make your life easeful? 

And on that note y’all of making my life easier through subtraction. I’m going to do something of the unthinkable… I’m going to model this for you beloved newsletter subscribers.

I’m not writing a newsletter next week.

According to my newsletter provider, Beehiv, I’ve been writing this newsletter for 86 weeks straight on Mondays, but in the name of taking some good ol’ time back, I’ll catch you next in your inbox on September 8th. Huzzah!

Wheels up, 

Ellen