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To Deepen Your Thinking, You Need More Constraints
Giving your mind free reign is the worst thing you can do for your focus, creativity, and ability to solve problems
Let’s do a quick exercise: Tell me story.
Go on. I want to hear it.
If you’re like most people, you’re probably feeling stuck. “What kind of story?” you ask. “True or fictional? A funny tale or a dramatic cliffhanger? Should I elaborate with great depth or give the 20-second elevator version?” Your mind weaves through all these questions before you even utter your first word.
Now, let me add a restriction: Tell me a story about your childhood.
This narrows the universe of possibilities, but you’re probably still pretty overwhelmed. “My childhood? That’s a long timeframe.”
Okay, I hear you. Here’s another restriction: Tell me a story about your childhood that involves your mother.
Now you’re probably starting to feel a little better. Some ideas might be coming to mind.
Let’s add one final condition: Tell me a childhood story involving your mother where you were angry at her in the moment, but now as an adult, you understand her point of view.
Bingo. Now you have a vivid tale to tell. Not only that, but the prompt is likely forcing you to reinterpret your memories and draw new conclusions.
What you’ve just experienced is the power of constraints. The idea is that in order to promote discovery, you must shrink your sandbox. Doing so can help you quickly sharpen your focus, enhance your creativity, and improve your problem-solving ability.
Giving your mind free reign is like running a race without knowing where it begins; you waste time and energy looking for the starting line. I was reminded of this at a recent dinner party. A guest asked me: “What are your favorite albums of all time?”
I froze for a moment, wondering how I could possibly sift through a lifetime of music in my mind. The lack of parameters in the question started to overwhelm me, so I took what I knew about constraints and added a few in my head. I asked myself: What are my four favorite rock albums? What are…
