Simplify, by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz

USA TODAY bestseller

Put Simplify to work

You have the book by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz. Here are three ways to use it, from the AI prompts in its pages to coach-led training for your team.

Three ways to start

Get the book

The framework, the ideas behind it and every way to order a copy.

Start here

Get the Simplify Prompts

16 AI prompts from the book. Paste one into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot and it finds what to cut from your week.

Learn about our trainings

Coach-led sessions that take a whole team through Confront, Delete, and Amplify together.

The Simplify AI prompts

Start with the prompts

Each of the 16 prompts turns one idea from Simplify into an instruction for the assistant you already use.

Why it matters: Most AI adds to the pile. These prompts ask it what you can stop doing.

  • Confront

    5 prompts

    See where your time really goes.

  • Delete

    4 prompts

    Cut the meetings, email, and reports that never should have reached you.

  • Amplify

    2 prompts

    Find the work only you can do and hand off the rest.

  • Create

    4 prompts

    Spend the time you get back on better ideas.

Plus one you save once, which questions every new commitment before it reaches your calendar.

Get all 16 promptsOne is open to try before you share your email.

Simplify training

Bring Simplify to your team

Our coaches take teams through the same Confront, Delete, Amplify method the book teaches, in three formats.

The big picture: Reading alone changes one calendar. Training gives a whole team a shared way to decide what is worth doing.

  1. Program 1

    Simplify Fundamentals

    60 minutesUp to 100 attendees

    Introduce the basics of a Simplify mindset to everyone in one session.

    Best for: A whole organization at once

    • Attendees bring last week's calendar
    • Quoted per session, not per person

  2. Program 2

    Simplify Workshop

    2.5 hoursUp to 15 attendees

    Your team leaves with aligned priorities and a kill list.

    Best for: One team that needs to align

    • Two weeks out, attendees send us their top three priorities
    • One week out, a 30-minute prep call with the team leader

  3. Program 3

    Simplify for Management

    Two-day bootcampUp to 15 attendees

    Managers learn to run leaner, more focused teams.

    Best for: Managers running teams

    • Four modules: time, talent, feedback, and communications
    • Built on the same Confront, Delete, Amplify method

Each program is quoted per session, not per person.

Talk to us about Simplify trainingSee the full programs

How it starts

Three steps take your team from the book to a session with our coaches.

  1. Tell us about your team

    Share your team's size and what it is working on through our Talk to us page.

  2. Get a recommendation and a quote

    We match one of the three programs to your team and send a quote per session.

  3. Your coaches run it

    The Workshop starts two weeks out, when attendees send their top three priorities.

Team and bulk orders

Copies that come with the authors

Team orders start at 25 copies. Larger orders add live sessions with Jim, Mike, and Roy.

  • 25+ copies

    Bulk pricing

    Volume pricing for team reads, onboarding programs, and leadership development.

  • 50+ copies

    Plus a virtual briefing

    A virtual briefing call with one author. Jim, Mike, or Roy applies the Simplify framework to your organization's challenges.

  • 250+ copies

    Plus all three authors

    All three authors join a virtual session with your team for a deep-dive Simplify workshop tailored to your organization.

  • 500+ copies

    Plus an in-person session

    1 or more authors come to you for an in-person session with your leadership team. Travel costs are the responsibility of the purchasing organization.

To ask about bulk orders or speaking opportunities, email simplify@axios.com.

Request a Bulk Order

From the team behind Smart Brevity

Our coaches have run Smart Brevity programs for bp, J&J MedTech, CSX, Yahoo! and Combe.

Read the case studies

Simplify in the news

Jim, Mike, and Roy on the launch of Simplify, on TV, radio, podcasts, and in print.

On the bestseller lists

  • USA TODAY

    No. 118 of 150

    USA TODAY's Best-selling Booklist

    List dated

    Sales week of Monday, September 21 to Sunday, September 27, 2026.

    The list is published online and ranks 150 titles.

    See the list ↗

  • Publishers Weekly

    No. 19 of 25

    Hardcover Frontlist Nonfiction

    Sales week ended

    Ranked on Circana BookScan sales, first week on the list.

    Published in the September 28, 2026 print edition.

    The ranking is behind PW Pro, so no link is given.

Want the ideas first?

The book page covers the Confront, Delete, Amplify framework, what is inside and every way to order a copy.

Read about the framework

Talk to us

Tell us what your team is working on. We will recommend the right Simplify program.