Weekly Question & Framework: June 28, 2024

Hello and welcome to the Curiosity Chronicle Weekly Question and Framework. In three minutes or less, I'll get you one question and one framework to leave you thinking going into the weekend. Without further ado, let's dive right into it A question on writing your life story if you were writing the story of your life, what would the current chapter be called? One of my core mantras for life when in doubt, zoom out. The bird's eye view perspective on your situation provides a unique vantage point, an ability to see the landscape around you and the bigger picture. This question helps you do just that. Imagine your life as a novel. What would the current chapter be called? Would it be a chapter of growth and change? A chapter of joy and fulfillment? A chapter of destruction? A chapter of rebirth? A chapter of fear and paralysis? More importantly, do you like what it's called or do you want to change it? If the latter, what actions would you have to take today to begin to change the name? If you were to look back on this chapter after reading the entire book, what actions would have made this chapter a key inflection point in your journey? Spend a few minutes thinking about these questions. I'm willing to bet they'll spark new growth on the other side A dangerous cognitive bias to the einstelung effect in 1942, a researcher named Abraham Lutchens ran an experiment to see how expertise impacts problem solving. Luchins asked participants to solve a series of problems where they had to get to a desired quantity of water using three different sized water jugs. The solution to the first five problems was the same Fill B, use B to fill C twice, then use the remaining water in B to fill A once. In problem six and seven, that formula still worked, but there was a much simpler solution. Fill A, Use A to fill C. Once the participants became conditioned to the solution of 1 to 5, used the same formula and completely missed the simpler, more efficient path that was possible in 6 and 7. What's more, they were stumped by 8, which required a different solution altogether. Interestingly, participants who started on problem 6 had no problem solving 6 to 10 with the most efficient solution. The learning here is an important one. Experience and expertise can cloud our problem solving capability. This is called the Einstelung effect. It suggests that experience and expertise can actually be a negative in certain circumstances, as they may cause us to default into inefficient problem solving grounded in a that's the way I've always done it mentality. This effect is particularly damning in large established companies and government, where institutional knowledge is often prized and rewarded. If you encounter a problem where creative solutions may drive asymmetric outcomes, slow down and consider whether the default solution is really the right one. As I wrote last year on an experiment at Stanford Business School, there will always be an obvious solution that is simple, clear, and entirely wrong. Avoid the trap of expertise. Pause, slow down, and consider whether the way I've always done it, is really the best way. That's all for today. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you learned something, and I hope you'll share it with others. As always, until next time, stay curious. Friends.