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Backstory
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You can call me Matt. I'm a blogger for the American Express OPEN Forum Ideas Hub, which I reprint here. I've written three books, with the fourth, The Laws of Subtraction, coming out in a few months. I run a small ideas agency called Edit Creativ (formerly Shibumi Creative Works...practicing subtraction...and no, it isn't a typo in the name).
I spent 8 years as an independent advisor to the U.S. corporate headquarters of Toyota. It changed my outlook on work and life. I learned how to learn and solve problems. I learned to "think lean". I learned the power of less. I took those lessons on the road to other organizations. Now I write, speak, coach others on creativity, innovation, and design strategy.
You can read more on my About page, or connect with me on my Contact page.
Why Subtraction?
Lao Tzu said: "To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, subtract things every day."
When you remove just the right thing in just the right way, something good happens.
That's my go-to philosophy, and this blog is dedicated to sharing it along with all the amazing things that amazing people are doing to improve the world by waging "war on more" through subtracting from our collective experience anything obviously excessive, wasteful, complicated, unnatural, hazardous, hard to use, or ugly. Or better yet, refraining from adding those things in the first place!
I've just finished a new book entitled The Laws of Subtraction, which are these 6 simple rules for winning in the age of excess everything:
#1: What isn’t there can often trump what is.
#2: The simplest rules create the most effective experience.
#3: Limiting information engages the imagination.
#4: Creativity thrives under intelligent constraints.
#5: "Break" is an important part of any breakthrough.
#6: Doing something isn’t always better than doing nothing.The book will be out October 26, 2012. I've asked some of the most brilliant people I know to contribute short insights on these laws. Almost everyone said yes...54 to be exact. You'll be amazed and inspired by their stories of how subtraction has played a role in their work and life.
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Monthly Archives: April 2011
How To Hunt For Great Ideas
This article originally appeared here on OPEN Forum Idea Hub. Andy Boynton is dean of Boston College’s Carroll School of Management. Bill Fischer is a professor at IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland. They work with executives at companies like Fidelity, Cisco … Continue reading
The Idea Hunter
This Guru Review was originally posted here on OPEN Forum Idea Hub. Riddle me this: What do Cornflakes, the microwave oven, Post-Its, the Walkman, Teflon, Scotchgard, Aspartame, Rogaine, Kitty Litter, Ivory soap, Velcro, Rayon, and Skateboards all have in common? … Continue reading
8 Simple Storytelling Tips
This post originally appeared here on OPEN Forum Idea Hub. When it comes to being at once educated, entertained, and engaged, nothing beats a compelling story. Stories are the most powerful way to capture hearts and minds, make a point, … Continue reading
Reinventing The Wheel
This review was originally posted here on OPEN Forum Idea Hub. The first person you see in the two American Express OPEN Forum commercials released early last year (Small Business Owner Anthem and Lots of Questions) is Chris Zane hard … Continue reading
Got Klout?
I have recently started using HootSuite as my desktop social media manager, and became immediately intrigued with Klout. I discovered that according to Klout, when it comes to my Twitter tweets, I’m a “Specialist.” That intrigued me, so I sampled … Continue reading
