🎯 The Subtraction Experiment
What happens when you stop adding and start removing?
Read time: 3.6 minutes
Welcome to Better at Life, the weekly newsletter where I share one simple, actionable idea you can put into practice today to build better habits, sharpen your mindset, and live with more intention.
Whenever life feels out of balance, my first instinct is usually to add something.
A better routine. A new app. Another habit. A productivity system.
A podcast someone swears will change my life.
For a long time, I assumed improvement meant accumulation.
More knowledge. More goals. More effort. More optimization.
But over the years, I’ve noticed something.
Many of the biggest improvements in my life didn’t come from adding.
They came from removing.
Turning off notifications.
Saying no to a commitment.
Leaving my phone in another room.
Letting go of an expectation that no longer served me.
None of those changes added anything to my life.
They created space.
And sometimes, space is exactly what we need.
I call this The Subtraction Experiment.
A simple reminder that the next breakthrough in your life may come from removing something instead of adding something new.
Write this down:
Growth isn’t always about adding more. Sometimes it’s about carrying less.
This Week’s Action
Choose one thing to remove for the next seven days.
Not forever.
Just as an experiment.
It could be:
- unnecessary notifications
- checking email first thing in the morning
- one recurring commitment
- social media after dinner
- background television
- saying yes before you’ve had time to think
- clutter from your workspace
Notice what changes.
Do you feel calmer?
More focused?
More present?
More intentional?
The goal isn’t to prove you can live without it.
The goal is to understand what it’s been costing you.
Why This Works
A few weeks ago, we talked about The Friction Audit.
That framework asks:
What’s making my life harder than it needs to be?
The Subtraction Experiment is the natural next step.
Once you’ve identified the friction, ask a second question:
Does this need to be managed… or does it simply need to go?
Our brains naturally look for solutions through addition.
A new habit feels like progress.
A new tool feels productive.
But every addition asks something of you.
More attention.
More time.
More decisions.
Subtraction works differently.
It removes noise.
It creates margin.
It gives your existing habits room to work.
Sometimes the most powerful change isn’t introducing something new.
It’s making more space for what already matters.
Try This
Whenever you’re tempted to solve a problem by adding something, pause and ask:
What could I remove instead?
You might be surprised by the answer.
Less can create clarity.
Less can create focus.
Less can create peace.
Weekly Reflection
Before you move on from this email, pause for a moment.
Ask yourself:
What in my life has quietly become unnecessary?
What feels heavier than it needs to?
What would I gain by letting one thing go?
Write it down.
Then spend this week experimenting with less.
If this idea feels useful, feel free to pass it along to someone who might need it this week.
A better life isn’t always built by adding more.
Sometimes it’s built by making room for what matters most.
See you next week — a little better at life.
______
Dr. Chris Mullen
Bring Better at Life to Your Organization
If these ideas resonate, this is also the work I bring into organizations and leadership teams.
I partner with organizations that want clearer thinking, stronger decision-making, and more sustainable performance.
Engagements typically include:
- Keynote speaking for conferences and leadership events
- Leadership development workshops for teams and managers
- Team strategy sessions focused on alignment and execution
For senior leaders seeking deeper application, I also maintain a small executive coaching practice.
