Non-Obvious Thinking: How to See What Others Miss

prebuttal is a counterargument to what someone might say before they ever say it. It is the equivalent of shouting your disagreement with an unspoken idea, effectively shutting down any chance for genuine dialogue.

The “perfect breath,” as Nestor discovered, is inhaling for 5.5 seconds and exhaling for the same amount of time. His bestselling book Breath helped rekindle public awareness about the importance of good breathing.

A picker feels overloaded by choice. A chooser focuses on what makes a decision important and imagines alternatives if necessary, but then moves forward without regret or imagining every other foregone choice they could have made. Be a chooser.

Creating space starts with listening rather than anticipating disagreements.

There is more than one way to see something; seeing it from a different perspective is the real challenge.

engage your curiosity around your “un-interests” can lead to some of the most unexpected insights, and open your mind in a way that can invite more non-obvious insights to emerge.

When presented with choices that seem black or white, imagine a third option.

Ask yourself, “What is the argument that no one else in my field, industry, or community would ever make?” The answer might lead you in a fascinating, non-obvious direction and help you define a twist that others will almost certainly miss.

Often, the path to non-obvious thinking starts with focusing on solving the right problem.