Via Negativa: The Study of What Not To Do

When thinking about how to improve something, most people instinctively focus on what can be added or changed.

• You want to improve your life— what new habits can I add?
• You want to improve your business— what processes need to be changed or adopted?
• You want to be smarter— what new knowledge can I acquire?
• You want to grow in your faith— what good deeds or disciplines must I perform?
• You want to improve your health— what new diet or exercise routine can I try?

But one important rule of thumb that I’ve come to rely on is that most complex problems are easier to solve backwards. Instead of asking what can be added or changed to bring about improvement, start by looking to see what can be removed or avoided.

In theology and philosophy, this approach is often called “via negativa” or “by way of removal.” 

I like to think of it as the study of what not to do.

The path of subtraction

Via negativa has several advantages: 

1. It is often much easier to see what is wrong than what is right. 

2. In a complex environment (pretty much all of life), even seemingly “good” additions can have unforeseen consequences. It’s often easier to predict what will happen by way of removal.

3. Most people spend a lot of time thinking about what to add, so chances are high that you can find some low hanging fruit by simply asking what can be removed— maybe removing the daily soft drink from your diet or making your home more inviting without spending a dime by removing clutter.

4. A lot of what we call being successful is simply showing up and avoiding the big mistakes that even smart people make. There is an enormous upside to simply avoiding these mistakes such as overspending your income or becoming unreliable because of your perfectionism or procrastination.

5. Removing things from your life allows you to focus on what is most important.

6. Removing things from your life also gives you free options. For example, you can take advantage of the neighbor’s last minute offer for dinner by simply leaving more margin in your days and weeks. Optionality is the option, but not the requirement to take advantage of the good things that pop up along the journey. 

Improve your life by subtraction

Below are some practical areas of your life that might be improved by simply removing or reducing what is already there.

Perfectionism. Instead of letting the false need for a perfect result slow you down, try an experiment where you give yourself a certain amount of time to make a decision and go with it.

Clutter. Instead of organizing your house and your stuff, try reducing the amount you own.

Distraction. Instead of searching for new productivity tips, start by removing the major sources of distraction in your life. If you can’t remove them, make them far less accessible.

New knowledge. Instead of reading another self-help book or blog (this one included), try writing down 5 things you’ve learned in the past year and spend the next year simply trying to master those.

Procrastination. Instead of searching for more time in your day or some secret to life that other people seem to possess, find a way to remove the source of your procrastination and do the real thing.

Habits. Instead of looking for new habits to add to your life, start by removing the bad ones first.

Diet. Instead of trying a new fad diet, simply eat less of the things you know are worst for you. Another approach might be to occasionally fast from certain indulgences for a period of time. It’s sometimes easier to be totally on or totally off.

Work. Instead of adding another meeting, project, or idea, look for inefficiencies within the current system that can be removed or addressed.

Finances. Instead of making a complicated budget to follow, start with your current spending and look for a few areas that you can reduce your spending. Repeat as often as desired.

Fasting. Instead of adding new pleasures and entertainment to your life as a defense against boredom, try a temporary fast from something you enjoy in order to renew your appreciation.

Chemicals. Instead of adding new products to your life with the goal of being healthier, consider what can simply be removed without any downside at all.

The practice of simplicity

In a nutshell, via negativa is just another application of the practice of simple living. There are many ways to simplify your life and benefit from this timeless, fool-proof way to improve yourself and benefit those around you.

Choosing to study what not to do, is by itself a practice of via negativa. It’s simple to look at what you’re already doing and ask what can be removed. It’s far harder to consider all of the solutions (usually at some cost) that society has to offer for your problems and consider which one will work best. This path often leads to overthinking and over-doing.

Best of all, as we always try to reinforce on this blog, the practice of simple living forces you to pare down and decide what is most important to you. It pushes you towards living more intentionally through the series of choices that you end up making. We hope that it proves as beneficial to you as it has been to us.