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 references/scale-game.md

Unsure which technique to use When Stuck references/when-stuck.md

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 references/

• 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:

• references/when-stuck.md

• Dispatch flowchart and decision tree

• references/simplification-cascades.md

• Cascade detection and extraction

• references/collision-zone-thinking.md

• Metaphor collision process

• references/meta-pattern-recognition.md

• Pattern abstraction techniques

• references/inversion-exercise.md

• Assumption flipping methodology

• references/scale-game.md

• Extreme testing procedures

• references/attribution.md

• Source and adaptation notes