NON-OBVIOUS THINKING

A quick guide to developing ingenious problem-solving skills.

Bhargava and duPont present their Space, Insight, Focus, Twist framework to help readers improve both their mental agility and ingenuity. Step one is a “warmup stretch that makes limber, non-obvious thinking possible” using activities like mindful breathing and taking (small) risks. The next step involves learning how to insightfully navigate the world, including asking “storytelling questions” that can provide more in-depth information about someone, as well as focusing on the “afterthought”—or the seemingly insignificant detail people often add to the end of an anecdote that reveal more about them than the story’s apparent takeaway. The authors also introduce the concept of “nunchi,” the Korean term for “understanding what others think and feel without asking them directly,” which emphasizes the practice of paying close attention to others. In the third step, the guide encourages using a streamlined approach for managing obstacles, making the distinction between being a “satisficer,” or someone who accepts when an idea is “good enough,” and a “maximizer,” one who endlessly searches for “the best,” wasting valuable time and resources. The final step “is where the magic happens”; readers are expected to put their own spin on all they have learned so far and start seeing things a bit differently. The slim manual includes advice for mining the gray areas in the midst of “black or white” thinking for profitable ideas, as well as using “intersection thinking,” which combines two ostensibly dissimilar ideas into one brilliant new one. Each chapter opens with an anecdote about a historical figure or situation that bolsters the authors’ particular point and includes some personal stories, as well.

From the whimsical whiteboard illustration that acts as the table of contents to its wry tone (“If a rebuttal is, at its best, a thoughtful response refuting an argument someone makes, then a prebuttal is its far less intelligent cousin.”), Bhargava and duPont’s self-help guide goes beyond just being helpful to is downright fun to read. Clearly written and thoroughly researched, the book provides interesting, relevant stories and actionable suggestions (make a list of 10 things you never noticed before while on a nature walk, or change the order of things you do in the first hour after waking up). Basic illustrations, as well as important points highlighted in a bigger font, help visually break up the information. A few tips, like walking a trail backward to “offer a unique perspective,” can come across as a bit trite, and some abstract concepts may prove more challenging to put into action. But most of the advice here, such as letting your frustration “be a source of inspiration” to guide your brainstorming sessions, are ones that will likely push readers out of their comfort zones and produce real, measurable results. Sometimes eye-opening, sometimes challenging, Bhargava and duPont illustrate that reconsidering one’s approach to problem solving (and life in general) can be a lively—and even enjoyable—process. Another helpful guide from the wide-ranging Non-Obvious series.

A short, fascinating, and witty roadmap to finding inventive solutions.