Move back and forth to get where you want to go

Sorry software, techie, and engineering people, this one isn't for you. We know that you get the "whiteboarding" thing.  And how fundamental it is to your problem solving toolbox.

 

 

 

No laptops, no batteries

 

The thing is: we need to get the rest of the world to appreciate how such a simple thing as dry erase whiteboard notebooks and whiteboards, when used effectively, will get you to the proper solution faster and more efficiently.  No laptops, smartphones, apps, or batteries required.

 

So let's look at a simple example

 

The problem with coming up with a solution to a problem is that sometimes the multiple facets or angles involved could potentially overwhelm you if you do not have an inherent strategy to work it out.

 

Experts in even the most complex fields know from experience that solving problems requires time, patience, repetition, (did I say patience), and clarity. And more importantly, you need to be able to erase your thoughts and move back forth to get where you want to go. It is non-linear really.

 

Imagine being tasked with something relatively simple like organizing a small studio apartment for a friend. More specifically, this person has just confided in you to clean up her living space, well, because she's a slob and you are an organizational machine and she knows that your are really good at solving just about any problem.

 

So you step into the apartment to assess the situation by looking at the pile of clothes and other "crap" lying around.

 

And then you decide how best to organize the place for her by bringing out your trusty wipebook. For starters, you sketch the instant floor plan out and then you iteratively draw and erase shapes that resemble the "stuff" that needs to be organized.

 

And as part of the process you erase these shapes as you reconfigure how to effectively place things around the apartment.

 

You fill-up the first page of wipebook. Then another another page of the wipebook, and then another, then another, and finally, then another .... and only after 4 or 5 sketches, do you arrive at a viable solution for her organizational conundrum.

 

At that point you hand it off to your friend. Voila....

 

After watching you work it out, by employing your dynamic problem solving approach, your friend realizes that it was your flexibility and your willingness to move back and forth by using multiple sketches, which allowed for the most effective end result for her newly organized living space issue.

 

There you have it folks: to work things out you need to find solace in changing, moving back and forth, iterating, and erasing. It really is that simple. Just sayin'.