Inside the Box

How Constraints Make Us Better

De: David Epstein

How to do more with less and use limits to stimulate creativity, innovation, and collaboration, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Range

We live in a world that gives us seemingly infinite choices and values freedom above all else. The irony is that total freedom can be paralyzing, and unlimited resources don’t necessarily lead to the biggest breakthroughs. In fact, overvaluing complete freedom can be disastrous for everything from starting a company to harnessing creativity to finding personal satisfaction.

David Epstein argues that we can all benefit from narrowing our options. He dives into the science and practice of constraints, exploring exactly when and how guardrails can be beneficial, whether we’re working with limited resources or using self-imposed boundaries to tap unexpected wells of focus and innovation.

Original, galvanizing, and deeply researched, Inside the Box tells absorbing stories of people and organizations that embraced constraints to transform themselves, and the world—as well as a few that struggled from a lack of limits. Epstein reveals how boundaries create breakthroughs, and how setting the right constraints can help you become the most creative, productive, and satisfied version of yourself.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“David Epstein is one of my favorite writers, and this is my favorite of his books. Inside the Box is beautifully written—full of stories I found myself retelling at dinner, wonderfully personal, and blessedly practical. This book is a gift for anyone who, like me, needs to be reminded that sometimes less can be more. I learned something on every page.”
—Angela Duckworth, bestselling author of Grit

“I always tell cooks when they're making a dish or writing their first menu to make something delicious out of nothing. Use every ingredient, technique, and flavor at once and you get chaos. The discipline of constraint forces you to study every single angle, spot the details hiding in plain sight, and discover which rules to break and which to improve. This book captures that paradox of creativity through limits better than I ever could, and now I can hand it to cooks to explain it for me.”
—David Chang, founder of Momofuku

“I thought David Epstein's first two books—The Sports Gene and Range—were brilliant, but Inside the Box is his best. Epstein takes a simple but counterintuitive idea—that creativity requires constraints—and brings it to life through a fascinating series of stories. I'll never think about my own work the same way again.”
—Malcolm Gladwell, bestselling author of Outliers and The Tipping Point

“A masterful case that limits are what set us free. David Epstein is one of the best science writers on the planet, and he shows how smart boundaries can unblock insight, unleash creativity, and unlock potential.”
—Adam Grant, bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again