Why doing less is the smartest career move you can make

We’ve long been sold the idea that doing more equals achieving more. More meetings, more emails, more side hustles or more KPIs but as we step into 2026, I believe the smartest move you can make is strategic subtraction.

It’s becoming harder to ignore a truth that productivity experts, wellbeing advocates and burnt-out professionals have all been talking about for years: we’ve reached peak “busy”.

Doing less isn’t a luxury, it’s a smart, deliberate strategy for working better.Credit: iStock

Our calendars are bursting, our energy is stretched, and our attention is shattered. In the name of getting ahead, we’ve filled our days with tasks, meetings and obligations that offer diminishing returns and yet so many of us keep piling on, convinced that more activity means more achievement.

Research from a Deloitte Well-Being at Work Survey reveals that 43 per cent of professionals frequently feel exhausted, and 42 per cent report high levels of stress and, what’s more striking, is that many say they don’t have the time or capacity to prioritise their own wellbeing.

That’s the paradox we’re living in: we’re so overloaded, we can’t even stop long enough to reset, but that’s precisely why it’s time to rethink the way we work. Doing less isn’t a luxury, it’s a smart, deliberate strategy for working better.

We’ve been conditioned to believe that the path to success is additive. If you want to grow your career, build your business, or feel more in control, the logic goes, you need to do more, say yes more often, and find ways to squeeze more hours into the day.

But what if the real gains came from subtraction? From identifying what’s weighing you down and deliberately setting it aside because it no longer fits where you’re heading?

The power of subtraction

This is the idea behind red brick thinking; a concept I developed to help individuals and organisations challenge their default behaviours and create space for what really matters. The name comes from a simple exercise I often use in workshops involving a LEGO bridge that’s crooked and unbalanced.

Most people try to fix it by adding more bricks, with few considering that the smarter move might be to remove the red brick that’s causing the problem in the first place. It’s a metaphor that almost always lands because in environments that reward addition, we’ve forgotten how powerful subtraction can be.

This kind of thinking becomes especially valuable in workplaces where complexity creeps in slowly and silently. We inherit systems, take on tasks, and accept responsibilities without questioning whether they still serve a purpose.

People are waking up to the idea that constant hustle isn’t a badge of honour, but a barrier.

Before long, our days are governed by processes that no one remembers creating and meetings that exist because they always have. In most cases, no one is deliberately designing complexity; it’s simply accumulating in the background.

That’s how red bricks get embedded in our routines and why they’re so easy to ignore.

When we start removing those bricks, even one at a time, we experience a noticeable shift. We reclaim energy, think more clearly and give ourselves a moment to breathe, creating space for deeper work, better decisions, and more meaningful impact.

Loading

Letting go can feel uncomfortable. There’s often a quiet fear that if we stop doing certain things like attending that recurring meeting, replying instantly to every message, staying across every detail, we’ll fall behind, be seen as disengaged or not a team player.

But I’d argue the opposite. When we hold on to everything, we dilute our focus and compromise our ability to show up fully where it counts.

Leaders, in particular, need to be conscious of the signals they send, and making deliberate choices about where we invest our time and energy sets the tone for our teams to do the same.

Small moves, big shifts

The good news is that red brick thinking doesn’t require a dramatic overhaul. You don’t need to cancel half your diary or pull apart your entire work structure.

It starts with one small decision: identifying one thing that no longer adds value and letting it go and that single action often sparks momentum.

• Cancel the meeting that has no clear purpose.
• Politely step back from a committee you joined out of obligation.
• Delegate a task that drains your energy but lights someone else up.

These are the kinds of small, strategic moves that create breathing room and, from there, better thinking, stronger execution and more satisfying work.

As we move into a future where adaptability, clarity, and wellbeing are essential to performance, we need to stop equating busyness with success.

People are waking up to the idea that constant hustle isn’t a badge of honour but a barrier and the professionals who thrive in 2026 will be the ones who know how to focus, edit, and protect their capacity. Doing less is a bold step forward … one red brick at a time.

Donna McGeorge is a productivity expert and author of Red Brick Thinking (Wiley $32.95, out on November 10), a bold new call to simplify work by removing what no longer adds value. Learn more at www.donnamcgeorge.com.

Get workplace news, advice and perspectives to help make your job work for you. Sign up for our weekly Thank God it’s Monday newsletter.

Most Viewed in Business

Loading