Alternative

Benefit: Improves decision making
Prerequisites:

Description

When facing a problem, we often think too narrowly. We think about the first few options we can imagine, select one, and move forward. This approach works for many decisions, but some benefit greatly from exploring a bit more.

By using this practice, your mind will be able to come up with a wider range of possibilities.

Practice

1. Think of a problem.
2. List every solution you can imagine. Make sure to include obviously wrong solutions, as they are still solutions.
3. Once you've written down every standard solution, write down three absurd solutions.

Examples

Problem: Partner is annoying

Solutions:

• Leave and put the phone on airplane mode
• Call your partner's parents to tell them their child is annoying, then watch the parent scold the child
• Tell your SO (significant other) you're there to listen and help.
• Slap your SO
• Ask your SO to meditate with you
• Cry to your SO and blame them, making yourself the victim
• Call your mom for help
• Jump out the window
• Scream as loud as you can to "reset" your SO

Problem: Someone from a call center calls you.

Solutions:

• As soon as you realize who it is, hang up
• Listen to them fully
• Politely reject them without waiting for a reply
• Tell them you'll shove your foot up their ass if they don't get a new job
• Ask details about them, get their personal number, and text them there
• Act like the call is cutting out
• Make Chewbacca noises
• Play music and put the phone next to a speaker
• Play "Rick Roll" and do the same thing
• Give them your enemy's number and ask them to call you there
• Tell them to call you the next day at 6pm, every time they call
• Speak to them in another language

Problem: You're thirsty but don't feel like getting up

Solutions:

• Force yourself to get up
• Get up when the situation becomes dire
• Get up for something fun and, while you are at it, drink water
• Ask someone to hang out; now you have to get up
• Turn it into a game, like crawling on the floor instead of walking
• Spit and lick your spit
• Call someone in the house to bring you water
• Order from a food delivery service and ask them to bring it to your bed
• Yell, "I want water!" until someone brings it