Simplicty
HAVE YOU EVER GIVEN UP TRYING
TO PROGRAMME YOUR VIDEO RECORDER OR USE A FEATURE ON YOUR COMPUTER BECAUSE THE
INSTRUCTIONS ARE SO COMPLICATED? OR WONDERED WHY IT IS SO DIFFICULT TO FILL IN A TAX FORM?
Modern life can be
unnecessarily frustrating. Needless systems, processes, legislation and red tape only
serve to increase our anxiety. Here Edward de Bono, the originator of lateral thinking,
shows us how we can bring a little simplicity into our complex lives.
The challenge of achieving
simplicity requires a lot of creative techniques, including historical review, which asks
whether something we traditionally take for granted is still necessary; shedding, where we
eliminate what cannot be justified; bulk and exceptions, which deals separately with
majority and extreme cases; and refraining, which can make us realize we are seeking
solutions to a non-problem.
Edward de Bono concludes his
thought-provoking study with ten key rules for simplicity, and groundbreaking plans for an
Institute of Simplicity and National Simplicity Campaign.
304 pages