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Creative prompt

Subvert the obvious solution

You have an obvious answer to a problem. You want to see what the non-obvious answer would look like.

Works best in: Claude

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.
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