Einstein’s Problem-Solving Formula, And Why You’re Doing It All Wrong

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This Fast Company article, by Drake Baer, caught my attention. It’s a Stop Life Lens’ delight.

Contemplation.  Reflection. Analysis.

All soothing words to & strengths of a Stop Life Lens™.  Too much efficiency (a.k.a. being hellbent on action) can stifle innovation.  Check out the excerpts below or click on the full article above.

When asked how he would spend his time if he was given an hour to solve a thorny problem, (Einstein) said he’d spend 55 minutes defining the problem and alternatives and 5 minutes solving it. Which is exactly opposite of what the vast majority of executives today would do.

When we’re infatuated with efficiency, Phillips says, we let innovation die. By imprisoning ourselves in metrics, we don’t value the less quantifiable, more long-term aspects of value creation, like exploration, empathy, contemplation, and stillness. Since we’re conditioned to the thrills of fighting fires, firing off emails, and the validation that gives us, we feel starved of time. And our product development gets malnourished.