I’m serious. Some of the best outcomes for you have probably already been due to actions which did not take place, decisions to do nothing at all.

It is quite possible that a decision to do nothing gave you a far better outcome than doing something, but there would have been no fanfare about it, because we don’t seem to recognise, let alone celebrate inaction.

We are wired to see only positive behaviour, and we only generally reward positive behaviour, though a more negative action (removing something, choosing not to do something, deciding not to proceed with a given course of action) may be just as beneficial, often (as is the argument of this article) more so.

Setting Goals

Do more exercise, make more money, start a new hobby, take up tai-chi, finish project x, call my friends more…

We generally come up with positive actions when setting goals.

How about removing some stuff?

Eating less will be far better than doing more exercise. Give up smoking. Saving more or paying down debts is often a better (and easier) course of action than making more money. Dropping other things that take up so much of your time before taking up tai-chi would be a good move so then you can really get the most out of it rather than squeezing such a zen pastime into such a crazy busy schedule. Can some of the other projects that are really not going anywhere and should have been dumped long ago and then you will see that project x magically starts taking care of itself. Drop relationships that are a drain or even worse toxic or abusive, so you can focus on the ones that really count (ask anyone who gotten out of a bad relationship how much it helped absolutely every other aspect of their lives.

Becoming More Antifragile

Nicholas Taleb calls this becoming more antifragile. Setting yourself up to gain from disorder. In his book of the same title (‘Antifragile‘) he argues that this is a very natural and most beneficial state for humans and organisations. Small damages actually make us stronger, as long as we survive them (just like the saying ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’). Consider how muscles are made (they are broken and rebuilt stronger) or how we fight disease with vaccines (a small dose of harm to prompt a strengthening reaction from our immunity system).

The first step to becoming more antifragile, is to limit (or eradicate) the downside. This means removing any (or all if you can) negative influences – things, people, habits, systems or decisions and actions that make you vulnerable to volatility and risk. Things that make you fragile. Remove the things that make you fragile and you will become more antifragile.

The crazy thing is that it’s often much easier to remove stuff than to add stuff (and more beneficial). Stuff. Very technical, I know.

Via Negativa

The Greeks, Romans and medieval thinkers called this approach ‘via negativa‘ which literally means ‘the negative path’. The path of exclusion, of reduction. The theory behind this (particularly when applied in theology) is that it is often easier to say what is not good rather than what is good – and in theological terms it is far easier to say what God is not than what God is.

Cicero’s 6 Mistakes of Man

So this gives me a chance to mention my favourite bit of philosophy. Superbly simple, Cicero lists 6 mistakes of man focusing on things to avoid for success and happiness in life.

Decluttering

Do I need to explain this bit?

Suffice to say, decluttering is a good thing. I’ve written loads about it. Decluttering is classic via negativa. Decluttering physical space has mental benefits too. So rather than clutter up this article with more about decluttering, here is some decluttering wisdom:

• Decluttering: How Far Can You Go?
• Decluttering: Do You Use The ‘Future Use Excuse’?
• Finding It Difficult to De-clutter? Try This Simple 3-Step System
• Easy Minimalism (Efficiency Hack #9)
• Right-Sizing (is The New Big)

See? I told you I was a fan 😉

Thinking Clearly

Another book ref for you… In his book, ‘The Art of Thinking Clearly‘ (what can I say, I like to read a lot), Rolf Debolli lists no less than 99 Thinking Errors, arguing that the complexities of the modern world have contributed to lifestyle diseases (such as type 2 diabetes, lung cancer and depression) and errors in thinking. He argues that in our hunter-gatherer past, activity paid off more often than inactivity or reflection but that in the modern world this intuitive behaviour is disadvantageous and that often reflection, inaction and reduction – via negativa – would serve us better. The 99 thinking errors that he lists are largely a product of the complexities of the modern world and prime examples of bad habits that we need to strip away.

Be Like Michaelangelo

So the story goes, the pope (Julius II) asked Michelangelo: “Tell me the secret of your genius. How have you created the statue of David, the masterpiece of all masterpieces?”

To which Michelangelo responded: “It’s simple. I removed everything that was not David.”