Architects by their nature are makers. When presented with the opportunity to work, the first reaction is to design a solution, to do something.

However, the first reaction really should be antithetical to this idea of creation -- it should start from the position of doing as little as possible. This is both sustainable and healthy. We already have so much stuff, and the stuff we have can often be used extant or modified. Further, the making of something worthwhile is hard. It demands dedication from all parties involved.

So, a small checklist to keep in mind, hierarchically ordered:

Don't do anything.
Find what is already good and keep it.
Remove things first.
Add sparingly.