1. The problem is to count items without double-counting those already included in brackets. 2. When counting, items inside brackets are considered part of the total and should not be added again. 3. The key rule is to count only unique items outside the brackets and add the total inside the brackets once. 4. For example, if you have 5 items outside and 3 items inside brackets, the total count is $5 + 3 = 8$. 5. This avoids double counting and ensures an accurate total. 6. Always identify which items are inside brackets and exclude them from the outside count. 7. Then add the bracketed count once to get the final total.