![]() Shawn, an office manager in Cleveland, was struggling to make ends meet. Here is an excerpt from our background notes for that chapter: Unpredictably, it was a worthwhile mistake, creating an unexpected connection that eventually led to this book. Just as predictably, it was a mistake, written in a rush and behind schedule. Predictably, the chapter was “too good to pass up,” and we agreed to do it. His voice, Eldar recalls, lacked even a trace of irony. As Voltaire noted long ago, “Illusion is the first of all pleasures.”Ī week later, another call from Sendhil: Two colleagues were putting together a book on the lives of low-income Americans. ![]() It would not be easy, but it was necessary. “Yes” would be rare and uttered only after careful scrutiny. And of course he would be more prudent going forward. Only then would he even think about new projects. The to-do pile would shrink to a manageable level. He would prevent further delays on old projects by working meticulously to finish them. Old obligations would need to be fulfilled, but new ones could be avoided. It was only partly lost on Sendhil who, undeterred, described his plan for getting out. The irony of spending time lamenting the lack of time was not lost on Eldar. The past-due pile of life was growing dangerously close to toppling. A project had taken a wrong direction because of a tardy email response getting it back on track meant yet more work. ![]() Re-registering the car was now one more thing to do. Falling behind had turned into a vicious cycle. That conference one connecting flight away seemed like a good idea six months ago. His car registration sticker had expired. He could picture his mother’s hurt face at not getting even an occasional call. His inbox was swelling with messages that needed his attention. Deadlines had matured from “overdue” to “alarmingly late.” Meetings had been sheepishly rescheduled. He had more to-dos than time to do them in. I n this exclusive excerpt of Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much, Harvard economist Sendhil Mullainathan and Princeton psychologist Eldar Shafir explore the concept of scarcity: its ubiquity, its challenges, and its silver lining. ![]()
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