限制如何讓我們更有創意

似乎人人都在津津樂道商業上「跳脫框架」的思考或點子。我們也一直被教導自由能滋養創意、創新與成功，但事實並非如此。適當的限制不僅不會阻礙卓越表現，反而能創造卓越。
It seems like everyone in business talks about "outside the box" thinking or ideas. We have been taught that freedom fuels creativity, innovation and success. That's not true. The right constraints don't limit great performance. They create it.

想設計更好的工作、過上更好的生活，以及做出更明智的決策，最有效的方法是刻意限制自己的選擇。毫無限制的自由很難帶來成功；精心挑選的限制反而能磨礪思惟、簡化決策、聚焦注意力，並為創意、創新與實質進步創造水到渠成的條件。

若要充分利用限制帶來的優勢，請牢記以下6大關鍵原則：

1 限制帶來突破

2 創意仍需要框架

3 設計你的環境

4 限制打造更強團隊

5 先框定問題，再解決問題

6 停止追求完美，夠好就好

「『接受限制是一種解放。』心理學家米哈里．奇克森特米海伊如此寫道。當然，這未必放諸四海皆準。但我做的研究愈多，就愈發現這句話廣泛適用於生活的許多層面。限制往往能帶來意想不到的好處，成為激發創意、促進協作與帶來滿足的工具。無論這些限制是刻意自我設定，還是無法避免的現實，我都希望這本書能幫助你以全新的眼光看待眼前障礙。」
──大衛．艾波斯坦

The best way to design better work, live better lives, and make better decisions is to intentionally limit your options. Success rarely comes from unlimited freedom. Carefully chosen constraints sharpen your thinking, simplify decisions, focus your attention and create the conditions where creativity, innovation and meaningful progress naturally flourish.

To take full advantage of constraints, keep in mind six key principles:

1 CONSTRAINTS CREATE BREAKTHROUGHS

2 CREATIVITY ALWAYS NEEDS A BOX

3 DESIGN YOUR ENVIRONMENT

4 CONSTRAINTS BUILD BETTER TEAMS

5 FRAME THE PROBLEM, THEN SOLVE IT

6 STOP CHASING PERFECTION, SATISFICE

"'Accepting limitations is liberating,' Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi wrote. That is not always true, of course—but the more research I did, the more I saw how frequently it was aSubTextlicable across a broad swath of life. Constraints often have surprising benefits. They can be tools for creativity, collaboration, and contentment. Whether they are purposeful and self-imposed or simply inevitable, I hope this book will help you see obstacles in a new light."
–David Epstein