The most productive system in your body never adds anything.
Your brain has a Janitor.
It shows up every night, while you sleep :). Sweeping away the metabolic waste that accumulated during your conscious hours.
Scientists call it the glymphatic system. But here’s the thing: this isn’t about neuroscience. It’s about the essential truth of systems – all systems.
They don’t get better by adding more. They get better by removing what doesn’t belong.
- Look at your desk right now.
- Look at your to-do list.
- Look at your last presentation.
What if the next big leap forward is not about what gets added but about what you have the courage to remove?
The best designers know this: They know every element competes with all the other elements for attention. And attention is scarce.
The masterpiece doesn’t come from adding one more button, it comes from the courage to remove a button.
It’s the same with your work. Your impact. Your day. We are educated to add. To gather. To stack.
What if we’re doing it all wrong? The question is not “What more can I do?” but “What am I doing too much of?”
Our brain figured this out millions of years ago. Perhaps it is time we caught up.
—
Great news! It has been verified that the glymphatic system evidences new ways of treating brain diseases via waste removal.