Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less, Hardcover

Blending evidence across science and design, Subtract: explores the other approach to problem-solving: proving why we overlook subtraction, and how we can access its untapped potential

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 We collect new-and-improved ideas, but don't prune the outdated ones.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 why. Whether we're building Lego models or cities, grilled-cheese sandwiches or strategic plans, our minds tend to add before taking away. Even when we do think of it, subtraction can be harder to pull off because an array of biological, cultural, and economic forces push us towards more. But we have a choice--our blind spot need not go on taking its toll on our cities, our institutions, and our minds. By diagnosing our neglect of subtraction, we can treat it.

Subtract will change how you change your world. In these pages you'll meet subtracting exemplars: design geniuses, Nobel Prize-winners, rock-stars, and everyday heroes, who have subtracted to dismantle racism, advance knowledge, heal the planet, and even tell better jokes. These and more guiding lights show how we can revolutionize not just our day-to-day lives, but our collective legacy. More or less. A paradigm shift of a book, Subtract shows us how to find more of the options we've been missing--and empowers us to pursue them.

About author(s):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.