Work backwards - Deepstash
Learning A Foreign Language

Learn more about personaldevelopment with this collection

How to practice effectively

The importance of consistency

How to immerse yourself in the language

Learning A Foreign Language

Discover 40 similar ideas in

It takes just

5 mins to read

Work backwards

Working backwards is useful when the final result is clear but the initial portion of a problem is obscure.

Reverse engineering allows you to notice patterns your brain normally ignores.

1.66K

6.39K reads

MORE IDEAS ON THIS

Study the problem first

Detectives and investigators use the process. They ask both obvious and unthinkable questions.

Get close and collect information about how the problem is manifesting. Understand where the problem does and doesn’t happen, when the problem started, and how often the problem o...

1.8K

9.9K reads

Systematic approach

Systematic approach

Most people jump straight from finding a problem to attempting to solve it.

Having a systematic approach to how you deal with problems, as opposed to just going by gut and feelings, can make a big difference in how you creatively find answers to your obstacles.

1.78K

14.1K reads

A “could” mindset

A “could” mindset

In many situations when people encounter a problem, they tend to default to what they should do instead of asking what they could do.

Could helps you think outside an existing problem to generate more creative solutions.

1.86K

6.73K reads

Question for great answers

  • Don’t look for solutions immediately; Keep redefining the problem until you arrive at the root cause.
  • Don’t try to guess the solution; try to understand how the obstacles, or challenges manifest first.
  • Gather data to analyze ...

2.01K

9.09K reads

It pays to sleep on it

In many cases, when you are tempted to stay up late to find a solution to an obstacle, you might be better sleeping on it.

The brain makes better connections when you are asleep, allowing you to make new and useful associations between unrelated ideas.

Your br...

1.65K

6.13K reads

Break the obstacle down

  • A problem broken down is half way solved. E.g: if you don’t have enough money to get a mortgage, you could divide the obstacle into “too little income,” “high expenses,” and “expectations of future house.”
  • Address each category on its own.

1.77K

7.31K reads

Don’t rush the thinking process

Concentrating harder won’t force that ‘eureka moment’ you need.

Instead, your best option might be to step away from the problems and get do something unrelated to the project.

When you stop thinking about a task, your brain continues working on the problem in the bac...

1.73K

6.23K reads

The power of the incubation period

For many years, scientists have found that amazing ideas, solutions to problems and obstacles often come to people when they aren’t actively trying to develop a solution.

The incubation period works because your brain gets to take a break from everything distracting you.

1.66K

6.12K reads

CURATED FROM

CURATED BY

christopher_gc

Whenever I have a problem I just sing, then I realize my voice is worse than my problem

Related collections

More like this

Working Backwards

Sometimes we may need to undo or rewind key actions and move from the end of the process towards the start. This reverse engineering makes the brain see patterns and details left unnoticed earlier.

It works when the initial portion of the problem is opaque.

Fake a Commute to “Work”

Fake a Commute to “Work”

Your commute is a very important physical trigger to your brain that your work day has begun. So, after you complete your morning routine, whatever it is, find a way to physically commute to your home… from your home.

Literally leave your house. Walk up ...

Deep Work

Deep Work

 ... is all about taking your existing time spent working and concentrating it to make the most out of it. 

But it’s not that you have to do more things in less time. Instead, it’s about getting more out of the tasks you normally do by reducing distractions. Deep Work is...

Read & Learn

20x Faster

without
deepstash

with
deepstash

with

deepstash

Access to 200,000+ ideas

Access to the mobile app

Unlimited idea saving & library

Unlimited history

Unlimited listening to ideas

Downloading & offline access

Personalized recommendations

Supercharge your mind with one idea per day

Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.

Email

I agree to receive email updates