Problem-Solving Techniques
Systematic approaches for different types of stuck-ness. Each technique targets specific problem patterns.
When to Use
Apply when encountering:
- Complexity spiraling - Multiple implementations, growing special cases, excessive branching
- Innovation blocks - Conventional solutions inadequate, need breakthrough thinking
- Recurring patterns - Same issue across domains, reinventing solutions
- Assumption constraints - Forced into "only way", can't question premise
- Scale uncertainty - Production readiness unclear, edge cases unknown
- General stuck-ness - Unsure which technique applies
Quick Dispatch
Match symptom to technique:
| Stuck Symptom | Technique | Reference |
|---|
| Same thing implemented 5+ ways, growing special cases | Simplification Cascades | references/simplification-cascades.md
|
| Conventional solutions inadequate, need breakthrough | Collision-Zone Thinking | references/collision-zone-thinking.md
|
| Same issue in different places, reinventing wheels | Meta-Pattern Recognition | references/meta-pattern-recognition.md
|
| Solution feels forced, "must be done this way" | Inversion Exercise | references/inversion-exercise.md
|
| Will this work at production? Edge cases unclear? | Scale Game | |
| Unsure which technique to use | When Stuck | |
Core Techniques
1. Simplification Cascades
Find one insight eliminating multiple components. "If this is true, we don't need X, Y, Z."
Key insight: Everything is a special case of one general pattern.
Red flag: "Just need to add one more case..." (repeating forever)
2. Collision-Zone Thinking
Force unrelated concepts together to discover emergent properties. "What if we treated X like Y?"
Key insight: Revolutionary ideas from deliberate metaphor-mixing.
Red flag: "I've tried everything in this domain"
3. Meta-Pattern Recognition
Spot patterns appearing in 3+ domains to find universal principles.
Key insight: Patterns in how patterns emerge reveal reusable abstractions.
Red flag: "This problem is unique" (probably not)
4. Inversion Exercise
Flip core assumptions to reveal hidden constraints. "What if the opposite were true?"
Key insight: Valid inversions reveal context-dependence of "rules."
Red flag: "There's only one way to do this"
5. Scale Game
Test at extremes (1000x bigger/smaller, instant/year-long) to expose fundamental truths.
Key insight: What works at one scale fails at another.
Red flag: "Should scale fine" (without testing)
Application Process
- Identify stuck-type - Match symptom to technique above
- Load detailed reference - Read specific technique from
- Apply systematically - Follow technique's process
- Document insights - Record what worked/failed
- Combine if needed - Some problems need multiple techniques
Combining Techniques
Powerful combinations:
- Simplification + Meta-pattern - Find pattern, then simplify all instances
- Collision + Inversion - Force metaphor, then invert its assumptions
- Scale + Simplification - Extremes reveal what to eliminate
- Meta-pattern + Scale - Universal patterns tested at extremes
References
Load detailed guides as needed:
- - Dispatch flowchart and decision tree
references/simplification-cascades.md
references/collision-zone-thinking.md
references/meta-pattern-recognition.md
references/inversion-exercise.md
- - Extreme testing procedures
references/attribution.md