Carl Jacobi was a 19th-century German mathematician that made a lot of profound contributions to the field of differential equations.
One thing that made this possible was Jacobi’s problem-solving approach.
He believed that when you invert already known facts in a particular discipline, you can reveal additional knowledge that was hitherto unknown.
That’s why, as a professor, Jacobi always encouraged the graduate students under him to always invert the known confines of the field and examine what they found there.
When this method is applied to everyday living, you’re equipped with an unrivaled clarity of thought.
For instance, instead of asking yourself, What do I need to do to make money?, you can ask, What do I need to do to lose money? Chances are doing this will open your eyes to areas of your life where you’re not being a good steward of money.
Instead of asking, What do I need to do to stay productive?, ask, What do I need to do to waste my day? Again, this exercise will help you identify the simple tweaks you can make to your day to boost your productivity.
Many times, humans are unidirectional in their thinking.
We like to think in a particular way because contrarian thinking takes effort.
As a result, we imagine that the elusive secret to success can be attained only by accumulating more knowledge and wealth.
Through inversion, you’d realize that most times, less is more.