We pile on “to-dos” but don’t consider “stop-doings”. We create incentives for good behavior, but don’t get rid of obstacles to it. We collect new-and-improved ideas, but don’t prune the outdated ones. Every day, across challenges big and small, we neglect a basic way to make things better: We don’t subtract.

Leidy Klotz, our guest this weekend and author of the recently released book, Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less, has plenty of research that shows why. 

Whether we’re building Lego models or cities, grilled-cheese sandwiches or strategic plans, our minds tend to add before taking away. Even when we do think of it, subtraction can be harder to pull off because an array of biological, cultural, and economic forces push us toward more. 

But we have a choice, our blind spot need not go on taking its toll on our cities, our institutions, and our minds. By diagnosing our neglect of subtraction, we can treat it.

Have a money question? Email us, ask jill [at] jill on money dot com.

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"Jill on Money" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com.