From the series: The Art of Subtracting
Making space before we make plans.
It’s mid-December, and the world is already telling us to buy a new planner, map out 2026, and add more to our plates.
But if I’m being honest with you, I don’t feel like adding anything right now.
Earlier this year, I wrote to you about running on empty. That experience taught me something simple but important. When the car is already heavy, stepping on the gas doesn’t help. You have to take some weight out of the trunk first.
So this year, I’m trying something different. I’m not writing a to-do list for 2026. I’m writing a to-don’t list.
In art, there’s a concept called negative space. The empty space around the subject matters just as much as the subject itself. Life works the same way. We often think we need to do more to feel better, but most of the time, we just need to remove the things that are quietly draining us.
This isn’t about laziness. It’s about protection. It’s about drawing a circle around your energy and saying, “This stays safe.”
Most of us spend a lot of time visualizing what we want to achieve. There’s also real power in being clear about what we want to avoid. Some people call these “anti-goals,” not as a trick, but as a way to build systems that protect time, focus, and energy.
It’s a backward way to move forward, but it works. Nick Bare and Sahil Bloom capture this idea beautifully in a short exchange, touching on how clarity often comes not from adding more, but from knowing what to subtract. Sometimes the best way to build wealth, in time or attention, is simply deciding what no longer belongs (view the short exchange).
Let’s Try This
Don’t overthink it. Just go with your gut.
What is one thing you’re ready to leave behind in 2025? Whatever it is, you have permission to let it go.
Warm Wishes
