I'm about to do the obvious thing for this problem. Help me see what the non-obvious solutions are.
The problem:
{{describe what you're trying to solve}}
The obvious solution I'm about to do:
{{your default answer}}
Walk me through:
1. **What the obvious solution gets right** — and what it might be hiding
2. **The unstated assumption** in framing the problem this way — what if it's wrong?
3. **The opposite approach** — what would solve the problem by doing the reverse of the obvious?
4. **The "remove instead of add" answer** — instead of adding a feature/process/tool, what if I removed something?
5. **The smaller scope answer** — what if I solved 30% of the problem really well instead of 80% mediocrely?
6. **The wait-and-see answer** — what if doing nothing is actually correct here?
Don't both-sides me to safety. If the obvious solution is correct, say so. The point is to test it, not always replace it.creative thinkingproblem solving