Tag Archives: Think like a freak

3 tips that will help you better define a problem

Mission Viejo

Takeru Kobayashi (Photo credit: yamchild)

If you start with the wrong problem, it’s unlikely you’ll ever arrive at an effective solution.

Think about a problem you’d really like to solve, and before you spend a lot of time and energy trying to solve that problem, first define exactly what the problem is. Or better yet, redefine the problem.

How to learn your way to not caring about what anybody thinks

English: Ryan Valentine scores the goal that k...

English: Ryan Valentine scores the goal that keeps Wrexham in the Football League. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In their most recent book, Think Like A Freak, Steve Levitt and Stephen Dubmer tell the story of the penalty kicks in soccer to highlight how incentives move us. According to them, the data shows that 75% of all penalty kicks at the elite level are successful. That’s a high rate, but what can you do if you want to improve a little bit?