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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: September 2011
Schwab On Subtraction
Charles Schwab wrote a nice piece in The Wall Street Journal this week, entitled “Every Job Requires an Entrepreneur.” I liked what he had to say, and I think he has the right ideas. I pulled a few favorite quotes: … Continue reading
What Isn’t There
I just received a copy of the Mandarin translation of my first book, The Elegant Solution: Toyota’s Formula for Mastering Innovation. I was blown away by the cover, shown here. They got it! They got that the pursuit of elegance … Continue reading
Thank You Rotman Magazine & Wall Street Journal!
I’m always elated when a highly regarded publication opts to publish my brain droppings. I’m pleased and honored that, thanks to the efforts of the great team at The Rotman Magazine, The Wall Street Journal posted an excerpted piece from … Continue reading
Interrupt Yourself For Greater Focus
Conventional wisdom dictates that if you really want to get more done, you create a whiz-bang action plan, cram it full of tasks, tuck your chin, hit the ground running, and go go go to “get ‘er done.” And that’s … Continue reading
The Best Exercise? Less Exercise.
The September issue of Details is running a piece by Ryan Halvorson called “Is Your Workout Making You Fat? Why You Should Rethink The Traditional Gym Routine.” It’s a fairly compelling underscore of one the key laws of subtraction: doing something … Continue reading
