Have you ever given up trying to programme your video recorder or use a feature
on your computer because the instructions are so complicated? Or wondered why it
is so difficult to fill in a tax form? Modern life can be unnecessarily
frustrating. Here Edward de Bono, the originator of lateral thinking, shows us
how we can bring a little simplicity into our complex lives. The challenge of
achieving simplicity requires a lot of creative techniques, including historical
review, which asks whether something we traditionally take for granted is still
necessary; shedding, where we eliminate what cannot be justified; bulk and
exceptions, which deals separately with majority and extreme cases; and
reframing, which can make us realize we are seeking solutions to a non-problem.