Fastcompany iconFastcompanyMay 16, 2026 ~1 min source read

5 ways constraints boost productivity and creativity at work

David is the author of The New York Times bestsellers Range and The Sports Gene. He has worked as a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and an investigative reporter for ProPublica.

5 ways constraints boost productivity and creativity at work

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David is the author of The New York Times bestsellers Range and The Sports Gene.

He has worked as a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and an investigative reporter for ProPublica.

Using deliberate constraints and simplification strategies helps you focus better, be more productive, and make more creative decisions.

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David is the author of The New York Times bestsellers Range and The Sports Gene. He has worked as a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and an investigative reporter for ProPublica. Using deliberate constraints and simplification strategies helps you focus better, be more productive, and make more creative decisions.

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  • Listen to the audio version of this Book Bite—read by David himself—in the Next Big Idea App, or buy the book.
  • At one genomics lab, the staff took the time to write each of their current projects on Post-it notes (one project per Post-it) and put them up on a wall.
  • They immediately noticed that they had way too many things in progress at once.
  • When taking account of everything, ask yourself, "If I had to cut one of these things out in the next 90 days, which would it be?" That doesn't...

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The lab team saw the importance of picking priorities to focus on. This can be done for personal matters, professional tasks, or both.

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