Practise thinking in space and time. An alternative to Powers of 10 that encourages you to look at a situation in space and time. Helpful for getting a new perspective. The easiest way I know is to literally draw the boxes. Start with what you’re dealing with in the centre then start filling the rest out. Another tool from the TRIZ toolkit.

9 Windows

My own little mnemonic to remember which direction the sun rises and which it sets. Surprisingly helpful for figuring out what direction you are facing — by where the sun is and the rough time of day. Also, for figuring out what time it’s likely to be in a different country — is it earlier in the morning for them or later in the day?

I’ve also always wondered if the East/West coast of America is fundamentally affected by the sun — the East coast gets the sea sunrises, great for early birds catching worms, and the West coast gets the sea sunsets, great for romantic evenings and all night parties. Who knows.

The sun rises Early in the East

A nice little framework for expanding the scope of your thinking and looking at a problem from a different angle: what if you approached from a different power of 10?

Really it refers to the Charles Eames film Powers of 10 which seems to be remarkably popular. Watch the short film (a good way to spend a few minutes) or explore the Powers of 10 site.

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Powers of 10