“Utterly fascinating. Tim Harford shows that if you want to be creative an d resilient, you need a little more disorder in your world.” —Adam G rant,New York Times-bestselling author ofOriginalsandGive and Take “Engrossing.” —New York TimesFrom the award-winn ing columnist and author of the national bestseller The Undercover Econom istcomes a provocative big idea book about the genuine benefits of being messy : at home, at work, in the classroom, and beyond.Look out for Tim's next book,Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy.Messy: The Pow er of Disorder to Transform Our Livescelebrates the benefits that messiness ha s in our lives: why it’s important, why we resist it, and why we should em brace it instead. Using research from neuroscience, psychology, social science, as well as captivating examples of real people doing extraordinary things, Tim H arford explains that the human qualities we value – creativity, responsive ness, resilience – are integral to the disorder, confusion, and disarray t hat produce them.From the music studio of Brian Eno to the Lincoln Memorial wi th Martin Luther King, Jr., from the board room to the classroom, messiness lies at the core of how we innovate, how we achieve, how we reach each other – in short, how we succeed.InMessy, you’ll learn about the unexpected connections between creativity and mess; understand why unexpected changes of p lans, unfamiliar people, and unforeseen events can help generate new ideas and o pportunities as they make you anxious and angry; and come to appreciate that the human inclination for tidiness – in our personal and professional lives, online, even in children’s play – can mask deep and debilitating fra gility that keep us from innovation.Stimulating and readable as it points exci ting ways forward,Messyis an insightful exploration of the real advantages o f mess in our lives.