reverse thinking

Great originals are great procrastinators, but they don’t skip planning altogether. They procrastinate strategically, making gradual progress by testing and refining different possibilities.

in reality, the biggest barrier to originality is not idea generation—it’s idea selection.

Thinking like a scientist involves more than just reacting with an open mind. It means being actively open-minded.27 It requires searching for reasons why we might be wrong—not for reasons why we must be right—and revising our views based on what we learn.

psychologists find that one of the hallmarks of an open mind is responding to confusion with curiosity and interest.30 One student put it eloquently: “I need time for my confusion.”31 Confusion can be a cue that there’s new territory to be explored or a fresh puzzle to be solved.32