321 — How to Use Constraints to Spark Better Ideas, Make Faster Decisions, and Live With Less Regret With Bestselling Author David Epstein

About this episode

David Epstein discusses how constraints can enhance creativity and decision-making.

Have you ever scrolled Netflix for 25 minutes, finally picked something—and then couldn't enjoy it because you kept wondering if there was something better? Or told yourself that if you just had more time, more space, or more freedom, you'd finally write the book, start the business, or get serious about the creative work you keep putting off? We've been sold the idea that more options and more freedom make us happier and more creative. But what if the opposite is true—what if all that freedom is actually making you stay stuck? My guest is David Epstein, a New York Times bestselling author whose TED talk has been viewed more than eight million times. His new book, Inside the Box, makes the case that the limits we resent might be the very thing standing between us and our best work. Some of the things we discuss are: Why "think outside the box" is actually terrible advice—and what your brain does instead when you hand it a blank page. The reason too much freedom raises your anxiety. The jazz pianist who turned a near-disaster into the best-selling solo piano album of all time. The "satisficing" rule a Nobel Prize winner used to free up his mind—and why he owned only three sets of…

People in this episode

Host: Amy Morin

Guest: David Epstein

Topics covered

• creativity
• decision making
• constraints
• freedom
• satisfaction

Keywords

• constraints
• creativity
• decision making
• freedom
• satisfaction
• David Epstein
• Inside the Box

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New York Times

Books & works: Inside the Box

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