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The Hidden Benefits of Disorder--How Crammed Closets, Cluttered Offices, and On-the-Fly Planning Make the World a Better Place
Little, Brown
January 2007
On Sale: January 3, 2007
336 pages ISBN: 0316114758 EAN: 9780316114752 Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
Like Freakonomics, here is a book that combines
counterintuitive thinking with stories from everyday life to
provide a striking new view of how our world works. Ever
since Einstein's study of Brownian Motion, scientists have
understood that a little disorder actually makes systems
more effective. But most people still shun disorder--or
suffer guilt over the mess they can't avoid. No longer! With
a spectacular array of anecdotes and case studies of the
useful role mess can play, here is an antidote to the
accepted wisdom that tight schedules, neatness, and
consistency are the keys to success. Drawing on examples
from business, parenting, cooking, the war on terrorism,
retail, and even the meteoric career of Arnold
Schwarzenegger, coauthors Abrahamson and Freedman
demonstrate that moderately messy systems use resources more
efficiently, yield better solutions, and are harder to break
than neat ones. A Perfect Mess will help readers assess what
the right amount of disorder is for a given system, and how
to apply these ideas onto a large scale--government,
society-- and on a small scale--in your attic, kitchen, or
office. A Perfect Mess will forever change the way we think
about those unruly heaps of paper on our desks.
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