Either create less clutter or make more sense of it faster than the competition-and you win.

But how do you make sense of the clutter? In Simplicity, Bill Jensen offers a highly engaging and practical approach to competing in the fast-paced information age. Drawing on a ground-breaking study of over 2,500 people in more than 450 companies, Jensen presents new tools and strategies for applying common sense and critical thinking to any business situation.

Choosing among infinite possibilities is the toughest part of today’s work, when information is abundant and the most precious resources are people’s time and attention. But Simplicity offers a blueprint for transforming your workday-and your company. After reading this book, you will ask completely different questions of yourself, your teammates, and your senior executives.

It’s about working smarter-not harder-and it gives you the power to create more flexible and productive organizations, more compelling experiences for colleagues and customers, and more fulfilling work for everyone.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Prologue: The Simplicity Manifesto
Sect. 1 The Aha
1 Simplicity: What it is and why it works
2 Simplicity’s Evil Twin: How work got so complex
3 So What? Does it hurt enough to do something about it?

Sect. 2 Simpler WorkDays
4 Using Time: Getting ready to use people’s time and attention
5 Planning: The starter kit for simpler work
6 Contracting: Behavioral communication
7 Listening and Scanning: Hit delete, find the good stuff
8 Engaging: Bringing it all together for the right kind of order

Sect. 3 Simpler Companies
9 Simpler to Know: A strategy for working backwards
10 Feels Simpler: Build trust with what you build
11 Simpler to Use: Designing content for decision making
12 Simpler to Do: Using project design to make informed choices
13 Simpler to Succeed: Designing work for easy navigation

Sect. 4 Simpler FutureWork
14 Lead through Navigation: Changing how we structure companies

Epilogue: The Power to Do What’s Important
Endnotes
Acknowledgments
Indexes: Subject, People, Organizations