The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

When the going gets tough, creative problem solvers create an easier, simpler problem that they can solve. They resolve that easier issue thoroughly and then study that simple scenario with laser focus. Those insights often point the way to a resolution of the original difficult problem.

You have probably heard of the “10,000-hour rule,” which encapsulates the idea that a person needs 10,000 hours of practice to become world-class at anything, from art to music to sports to zoology. This book is about what to do during hours 1 through 9,999. The magic of the 10,000-hour rule does not happen at the 10,000th hour. The magic is an acc

When you learn anything, go for depth and make it rock solid. If you learn a piece of music for the piano, then, instead of just memorizing finger movements, learn to hear each note and understand the structure of the piece.

Creativity is not a matter of magical inspiration.

You don’t need an army of thousands of individuals to struggle a thousand years to address a challenge. The only person who needs to move forward little by little is you. Engineer your own evolution. Take a homework assignment, essay, or project that you’re facing and quickly just do it; that is, tackle the questions, draft the essay, or move forwa

If you want to get more out of what you hear or see, force yourself to ask questions—in

Effective questions turn your mind in directions that lead to new insights and solutions. They highlight hidden assumptions and indicate directions to take to make progress.

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. —Samuel Beckett

creating questions is as important as answering them, if not more so, because framing good questions focuses your attention on the right issues.