Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less
Apr 2021 · Sold by Flatiron Books
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About this ebook
"You need to read this book." —Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“A great book changes the world you live in, revealing mysteries you didn't even know were there. This is a great book." —Sendhil Mullainathan, MacArthur fellow and author of Scarcity
“Klotz shows us how deleting things from our lives can lead us to exciting new places.”—Carol Dweck, author of Mindset
We pile on “to-dos” but don’t consider “stop-doings.” We create incentives for good behavior, but don’t get rid of obstacles to it. We collect new-and-improved ideas, but don’t prune the outdated ones. Every day, across challenges big and small, we neglect a basic way to make things better: we don’t subtract. Leidy Klotz’s pioneering research shows us what is true whether we’re building Lego models, cities, grilled-cheese sandwiches, or strategic plans: Our minds tend to add before taking away, and this is holding us back.
But we have a choice—our blind spot need not go on taking its toll. Subtract arms us with the science of less and empowers us to revolutionize our day-to-day lives and shift how we move through the world. More or less.
“A great book changes the world you live in, revealing mysteries you didn't even know were there. This is a great book." —Sendhil Mullainathan, MacArthur fellow and author of Scarcity
“Klotz shows us how deleting things from our lives can lead us to exciting new places.”—Carol Dweck, author of Mindset
We pile on “to-dos” but don’t consider “stop-doings.” We create incentives for good behavior, but don’t get rid of obstacles to it. We collect new-and-improved ideas, but don’t prune the outdated ones. Every day, across challenges big and small, we neglect a basic way to make things better: we don’t subtract. Leidy Klotz’s pioneering research shows us what is true whether we’re building Lego models, cities, grilled-cheese sandwiches, or strategic plans: Our minds tend to add before taking away, and this is holding us back.
But we have a choice—our blind spot need not go on taking its toll. Subtract arms us with the science of less and empowers us to revolutionize our day-to-day lives and shift how we move through the world. More or less.
"You need to read this book." —Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“A great book changes the world you live in, revealing mysteries you didn't even know were there. This is a great book." —Sendhil Mullainathan, MacArthur fellow and author of Scarcity
“Klotz shows us how deleting th...
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Ratings and reviews
1 review
Gareth Lema
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August 20, 2024
I really agree with the ideas in this book. But ironically, for a book on subtraction, it rambled on too much. I didn't love the examples. And I wish there was more practical advice on how to convince our administrators, bosses, and leaders to embrace decluttering and the concept of "add and subtract."
About the author
Leidy Klotz studies and writes about how we transform things from how they are to how we want them to be. His research on the science of problem-solving has appeared in both Nature and Science and has been covered in The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post among national newspapers on five continents. A professor at the University of Virginia, Leidy has authored more than 80 original research articles and writes on applications of his research for design, art, parenting, personal finance, climate change and many other fields.
Leidy Klotz studies and writes about how we transform things from how they are to how we want them to be. His research on the science of problem-solving has appeared in both Nature and Science and has been covered in The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post among national newspapers on fiv...
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