Subtraction Beats Addition (When You’re Feeling Off)

Hi there,

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve felt… off.

Not in any kind of crisis. Just a subtle, nagging sense that something isn’t lining up. Like I’m here, but I’m not really in it.

Usually, when things feel off, our first instinct is the usual one:
What should I be doing to fix this?

Should I start a new routine?
Sign up for a challenge?
Buy another book I probably won’t finish?

Before You Add More, Try Subtracting

But here’s something I’ve learned the hard way: When things feel off, it’s usually not about what we need to start doing. It’s more about what we need to stop doing.

So instead of trying to optimize or doing a big overhaul, I ask myself:

What small things am I doing now that’s not helping? It usually doesn’t take long to spot them.

In my situation, I realized I had let my small anchor habits drift.

I stopped journaling at night.
I stopped laying out my workout clothes.
I started checking emails before I even got out of bed.
And I’d given up my long nature walks. The simple act of touching grass helps me feel sane and centered.

None of these are massive on their own. But together?

They created a slow shift. A quiet, gradual drift into misalignment.

The One Degree Difference

Imagine an airplane leaving from Los Angeles flying direct to Rome, Italy. The flight will take about 12 hours if the plane goes in a direct and straight line.

But, if the nose of the airplane is pointed just 1 degree off course to the south, after 12 hours the plane will land somewhere in Tunisia… Africa! If there is a one degree difference to the north the plane will land in Austria!

That's why pilots are taught the 1-in-60 Rule, which states that after 60 miles, a one-degree error in direction will result in straying off course by one mile. This teeny weeny difference in direction has a huge effect in outcome over a long distance.

It doesn’t feel like much at first. But over time it puts you in a completely different place.

The Habits That Quietly Steer You

Life works the same way.

You don’t need to flip your world upside down to change direction. You just need a one-degree shift.

Because the teeny weeny daily habits…tiny things we do, or don’t do, repeated over and over again, everyday add up.

That could mean:

• Not drinking coffee first thing in the morning and and grabbing some water first

• Stopping the doom scrolling and sitting in stillness for 5 mins. instead

• Moving your body daily instead of bed rotting

• Closing the laptop even if the to-do list isn’t done

• Or being the first to say “I’m sorry” for once instead of passively waiting and brooding.

Real change rarely feels dramatic. It feels… small. Almost unnoticeable.

Final Thought

When life feels off, most of us respond by piling on. We add routines, books, goals, thinking more will fix it. But often, the answer isn’t to add. It’s to subtract.

Because in reality, most things aren’t as complicated as we make them. And the fastest way to simplify a messy life moment is to remove what’s not working.

So if you’ve been feeling off lately, try this:

Instead of asking, “What should I do?”
Ask, “What should I stop doing that’s not helping?”

Then make the tiniest course correction you can.

Sometimes you don’t need a complete life shake-up. You just need to stop doing the things you know you shouldn’t be doing and do something useful instead.

Just one degree. One shift. And one decision closer to a life that feels a little closer to the one you want for yourself.

See you next week,

Shakila