Cognition
How to Solve Problems Without Thinking So Hard
A less effortful approach to getting things done.
Updated June 18, 2025 Reviewed by Gary Drevitch
Imagine that your focused mind is like your right hand, and your unfocused mind is like your left. You'll get more done by using both. And it lightens cognitive load. Using only focused effort is like working with one hand tied behind your back.
We all know the feeling of having a light-bulb moment when the answer to a puzzle suddenly becomes obvious. Light-bulb moments can happen in two ways: They can happen when we're actively interacting with the puzzle to be solved (using our focused mind). Or they can happen unconsciously, like when we're in the shower or driving, while our unfocused mind has been turning the problem over in the background.
This post uses a fun practice example to help you solve more problems through light-bulb insights. First, let's briefly cover why this is valuable.
Offload Some Work to Your Unfocused Mind
Hustle culture is obsessed with focus and concentration, but rarely addresses using your unfocused mind to get things done.
People who solve particularly hard problems, like physicists and mathematicians, are especially known for using their unfocused minds for breakthrough problem-solving.
Recent research suggests that light-bulb insights promote better learning. We seem to learn more deeply when we learn via a sudden realization. Inquiry-based learning—working through puzzles, without first being shown a specific procedure—tends to produce better results than when students are taught a procedure to use first.
This isn't just relevant when we're taking a class. The same applies, for example, when we're given a work assignment and need to figure out how to approach it. In both cases, we might find ourselves stumbling around, examining the problem from different angles, before suddenly having an insight on how to tackle it.
Practice Alternating Between Your Focused and Unfocused Mind
I'd like to introduce you to a classic puzzle called The Four 4s, so you can experience working on a puzzle using both your focused and unfocused mind. It's simple to understand but tricky enough to get your mind working in different ways.
Step 1: Understand the Problem
The Challenge: Using exactly four 4s and any math operations (like +, -, ×, ÷, square roots, decimals, parentheses, etc.), make every number from 1 to 10.
Example: 5 = (4 × 4 + 4) ÷ 4
Step 2: Explore the Problem
Time: Set a timer for 5 minutes and simply explore the puzzle.
Tools: Use paper and pen to try different combinations of four 4s.
Strategy: What patterns do you see?
Mindset: The goal here is to explore. Look at the problem from different angles without rushing to follow one particular strategy.
Record: Keep track of any answers you come up with during this exploration phase.
Step 3: Step Back
Go about your day. Let your unfocused mind keep working on the problem, without forcing it.
Don't actively work on it. If strategies, solutions, or questions (like "Would square root be helpful?") pop into your mind, jot them down as soon as they show up.
Step 4: Cycle Between Focused and Unfocused Processing
Resume working on the problem when you're ready to do another 5-10 minute chunk of focused work. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you finish all 10 numbers.
Final Step
Once you've discovered solutions for all the numbers from 1 to 10, let your unfocused mind engage in curiosity.
You might wonder if it's possible to make any number using Four 4s, how someone else might approach the Four 4s challenge, or what solutions you didn't think of.
We become more resilient when we're interested in knowing other ways to solve a problem after we already have one working solution (the principle of redundancy).
Consider trying to make more numbers (say, 11-20) when you're stuck waiting or when you're feeling intense anxiety and need a mentally absorbing distraction.
How Your Unfocused Mind Works at Its Best
Some people have clear boundaries about when they're working vs. not working. Other people have leakier cognitive boundaries, which is useful for getting more benefit from your unfocused mind.
Explore and experiment with getting the best performance from your unfocused mind. The 3 Bs—bed, bath, bus (or any transport)—are fertile grounds for light-bulb insights. For example, you might notice that working on an exercise like the Four 4s in bed for 10 minutes before sleep results in waking up with new ideas.
Conclusion
Many people's only approach to solving a problem is to focus until they've figured it out. For example, you sit staring at Wordle until you get it. That shouldn't be automatic. During a task, periodically pause and decide: should I concentrate hard on this, or step back and let my mind work on it unconsciously?
With self-awareness and practice, you can gain trust that your unfocused mind can contribute to problem-solving and completing tasks. Your unfocused mind is ready to help. Give it a chance.
