When we start a new chapter in life, a new project at work, or create a new vision for the future, our first instinct is often to add.
New goals.
New plans.
New tools.
New habits.
But why?
Over the past year, I started noticing this pattern more and more. In work, in conversations, and in my own life. Whenever something needed to change or improve, the first question was almost always:
What should we add?
Starting something new also gives us an opportunity to reflect on what is already there. Yet somehow, we seem to associate progress with more.
More responsibility means a bigger career.
More features mean a better product.
More initiatives mean more ambition.
Adding is visible. It gives us the feeling that something is happening.
Removing is different.
Removing requires us to question what is already there. What still serves a purpose? What no longer does? And perhaps more importantly: what are we actually trying to achieve?
I started to wonder what would happen if we turned the question around.
What if, before adding something new, we first asked:
What should I remove?
That question forces reflection.
It takes us back to the core. And sometimes, we may discover that the core itself is no longer clear.
If we keep adding without asking what belongs, we do not necessarily create more value.
We may simply create more.
That is the idea I want to explore:
What should we remove before we add something new?
And what could happen if we applied that question to the way we work, lead, use technology and live?