up:: Tags:: #🌲 # Addition Through Subtraction "Your personal philosophy is as unique as your thumbprint." Addition Through Subtraction is my personal philosophy that works of the notion that less is often more. It grew from the ideas in Leidy Koltz's book, [Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less](https://amzn.to/3Od90j5). He discusses that humans have a tendency to add rather than subtract in most life circumstances. But often times subtracting rather than adding is the better option because of the [[Hedonic adaptation]]. How do I adopt this mindset in my own life? Anytime I have to choose whether to add something to my life, I first ask if it helps me in one of my three central values: 1. **Health** 2. **Relationships** 3. **Teaching** If it doesn't add to one of these three things, I don't add it. I do the same the other way around. If something I have hurts my three main values more than it helps, I subtract. Here are some quick examples of how I have implemented ATS: 1. Intermittent fasting. Most of the time I only eat twice a day. This saves me time and energy making food and gives me the flexibility to decide when to eat in response to others. 2. Video games. I haven't played video games consistently in years. I would rather play the game of real life than escape from it. 3. Social Media. I have no social media other than Twitter. This gives me time to deepen the relationships I do have through physical interaction, video calls, and phone calls rather than form a net of hundreds of "friends." 4. Productivity. Any productivity guru will tell you doing more often comes with doing less. Most problems come from conflicting priorities. Tackling a 20-item to-do list only makes it likely most of the things you are doing are pointless. Through ATS, I'm living a more stable and happier life. I'm avoiding the terrors of the hedonic treadmill. And it's all because I see subtraction for what it is. It's important to understand subtraction is not always the right option. I'm not advocating for subtraction in every circumstance. ATS as a philosophy works on the concept that you can add **OR** subtract. If you want to adopt this philosophy into your own life, here's what I suggest you do. First, take out a piece of paper and write out the 20% of things that bring you 80% of your enjoyment in life. Then write the 20% of things that bring you 80% of your unhappiness and frustration. When I did this myself, I found exercising, hanging out with friends, and writing gave me most of my enjoyment. 80% of my unhappiness and frustration, however, came from negative people and pointless conversations. Now draft three values exemplifying the 20% of things bringing you 80% of your enjoyment and negating the 20% of things you hate. Don't make it harder than it has to be. You can change these values at any time in the future. Using the three things mentioned before I realized I cared most about my health, relationships, and teaching in life. Once you have chosen three values you are comfortable with, put them somewhere you will find them easily, in your wallet, for instance. Keep this with you at all times for a couple of months. Use it to remind you of what matters most whenever you make a decision on adding or subtracting something from your life. Writings on ATS: - [[How I Profit From Randomness Antifragile Book Summary]] - [[This Book Made Me a Minimalist Subtract by Leidy Koltz]] - [[What The Amish Can Teach Us Technological Minimalism]] Related: [[Antifragile happiness comes from simplicity]] ___ # Resources