The brain fixes problems by adding, not subtracting

There is a documented cognitive bias toward additive solutions: when asked to improve or stabilise something, people add elements far more often than they remove them, and only consider taking something away as a deliberate mental stretch. Controlled studies (adding Lego blocks to stabilise a structure, ingredients to a recipe) show the additive default holds even when subtraction is objectively better.

For an overloaded neurodivergent system this bias is costly. ‘Doing nothing’ rarely lowers the load, because most daily activities run on autopilot — trying to rest just preserves the existing baseline rather than reducing it. Cramming in more ‘fun’ or ‘self-care’ converts restorative activities into extra rushed commitments. And every ‘free’ opportunity, object, subscription or stream of information carries an unpriced cost in physical clutter and mental bandwidth. The fix is to make subtraction a conscious first move: before adding anything, ask what could be removed instead — physical clutter and mental clutter feed each other, and a simplified environment makes everyday action almost effortless.