Lateral Thinking : Lazy way to do the Best

Lateral thinking : Lazy way to the Best

Lateral thinking is a method of problem-solving that involves approaching a problem or situation in a non-linear, creative way.

The goal is to come up with new, innovative solutions by looking at the problem from different perspectives and breaking away from traditional,

linear thinking patterns. In most the cases the solution will be lying in front of us, but we fail to see it.

Some advantages of lateral thinking include:

Encouraging creativity and innovation: By looking at problems in different ways, lateral thinking can lead to new and unexpected solutions.

Breaking out of mental ruts: Lateral thinking can help individuals and teams break free from established ways of thinking and find new approaches to problems.

Improving problem-solving skills: Lateral thinking can help individuals and teams develop the ability to think creatively and come up with new solutions to problems.

Enhancing decision making: By considering a wide range of possibilities, lateral thinking can help individuals and teams make more informed and effective decisions.

Promoting divergent thinking: Lateral thinking helps in thinking about multiple solutions for a single problem which makes it different from convergent thinking.

Lets take up few scenarios and try to find solutions through various lateral thinking puzzles.

Problem 1:

Nimal wants to travel to City A from City B. There are two routes to City B , route 1 goes via City C which takes around 50 Kms and route 2 goes via City D with a

distance of 45 KM. What is the shortest time taken to reach City B from City A for Nimal.

One can easily answer the question by saying that going via city D will take less time to reach City B. On the other hand there are multiple aspects on which

this problem can be analysed. We need to take the traffic levels and also the road conditions on both these routes before arriving at the conclusion.

These factor may increase/decrease the time to reach the endpoint irrespective of the distance.

Nimal could think of an alternate route other than these 2 which could take even lesser time which may be the direct route to City B.

Problem 2:

Rahul has 4 apples and each one cost Rs.50. He can live with one apple for lunch but his brother wants Pizza for lunch which costs Rs.200.

How could Rahul & his brother manage lunch expenses.

Straight forward approach to manage the lunch expense is to make Rahul skip his lunch and sell all the apples and buy the Pizza which his brother

likes to have for lunch.

The other alternative would be to Rahul have 1 apple for lunch and sell the remaining apples for Rs.150. Borrow Rs.50 from his friend to manage the

lunch expenses.

The optimal solution would be to make Rahul have 1 apple for lunch and make 3 Glass of Apple juice with the apples and sell them for Rs.200 in such a way

to make up for the lunch expenses for his brother.

Demerits:

While lateral thinking can be a powerful tool for problem-solving and innovation, there are also some potential drawbacks or demerits to consider:

Risk of overthinking: Lateral thinking can lead to excessive analysis of problems and potential solutions, which can slow down decision-making and make it difficult to find the most effective course of action.

Lack of structure: Because lateral thinking involves breaking away from established ways of thinking, it can be difficult to structure the problem-solving process in a way that is efficient and effective.

Requires more time and resources: Lateral thinking can be time-consuming and may require additional resources, such as brainstorming sessions or workshops, to be effective.

May not be suitable for all problems: Lateral thinking may not be the most appropriate approach for all problems, and may not be as effective as more traditional, linear thinking methods in certain situations.

Not everyone may be comfortable with it: Lateral thinking may not be suitable for everyone, some people may feel uncomfortable with the idea of thinking out of the box and may find it difficult to change their traditional ways of thinking.

Guidelines

Always we should remember that there is no one stop solution for all problems. Take time to think in multiple angles to get an optimal solution

with minimal or no downsides.

Also, it is not always required to be creative or think out of box to arrive at a solution.

Think about the laziest way to solve the problem and you will be amazed by the solutions you get. In most cases the lazies solution turns out to be the best.

Try to make to simple, short & sweet.