A Guaranteed 5-Minute Method for Solving Problems and Finding Ideas

Try this short exercise whenever you are stuck and don't know what to do next.

Jan 28, 2025

I honestly can't recommend this technique enough.

I am always surprised by the results I get. Every time I use it, I expect it to not work. But it always does. I always get something from it. The reason I'm sceptical every time is that what happens seems almost like magic. I have a theory on why it works (included below), but I don't truly know.

The technique is simple. Anyone can do it. It only takes 5 minutes. And it works.

What can the technique be used for?

At a high level it answers the question, what should I do next?

You have a specific problem and you're not sure how to tackle it.
You're trying to figure something out but are stuck.
You're looking for inspiration or ideas for your next project.
Use it at the start of your work day to figure out your priorities.
Use it to prepare for an important meeting or interview.
Use it to help you make better decisions.

The uses are as endless as the problems we face every day.

Don't take my word for it. Try for yourself. It only takes 5 minutes.

Don't be put off by the long description. That's just me padding it out with tips and explanations. The technique itself is simple. Do it once and you will know it forever.

Stage 1: Preparation

I usually do this sitting in my home office chair. The only requirement is a quiet space where you won't be disturbed. Set a 5 minute timer on your phone. Sit in an upright but relaxed posture, your hands resting on your lap. Start the timer and close your eyes.

Stage 2: Relax

This stage should take 1-2 minutes, but no longer than 2.

Take 3 deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth, consciously relaxing your entire body with each exhale.

To further relax, you're going to do a quick body scan.

The idea is to move your attention through your body noticing the sensations in each body part as you go. Name the body part silently in your head, picture it, briefly feel the sensations then move on to the next body part. If you feel tension in any area, try to release it as you breathe out, but don't turn it into a problem. If you feel no sensations in some areas, that's not a problem either. Just picture it in your mind then move your attention along.

Here's the body scan sequence I like to use:

Soles of the feet
Toes
Top of the feet
Ankles
Shins
Calves
Knees
Thighs
Back of legs
Buttocks
Lower back
Abdomen
Upper back
Chest
Shoulders
Arms
Hands
Neck
Head
Forehead
Face
Consciously relax your face
Relax your jaw
Eyes
Relax your eyes and the muscles around your eyes.

This may seem like a long list to get through, but you are literally spending 2 seconds on each. Don't worry about relaxing each part, just notice any sensations and move on. Having said that, some areas where you store tension might be worth a few extra seconds: Abdomen, chest, shoulders, forehead, face and eyes. You can consciously try to relax these if you notice any tension.

Stage 3: Light Up and Ask Your Question

When you reach the end of the scan your attention will be on your head. Your relaxed head. Next, imagine that your head is filled with light, hold the image for a second or two, then imagine or visualise a beam of light coming from above and entering the top of your head. Hold the image for a few seconds, then let it go and relax.

Now, ask your question.

"What should I do about …?"
"What questions am I likely to be asked in this interview?"
"What should my top 3 priorities be for today?"
"What are the next steps to achieve my goal of …?"
"What should I get my wife for her birthday?"

You get the idea. Ask anything.

Stage 4: Wait for the Answer

This is important. After you ask the question, don't start actively thinking about the problem. Don't start an internal debate or start trying to figure out possible solutions. Just sit, relaxed and silent and wait to see what bubbles up. Wait to see what thoughts spontaneously arise. There's usually a pause, silence, nothing happening for 20, maybe 30 seconds. And then a thought from nowhere. You remember something. A fresh idea occurs to you. Sometimes the solution just arrives. It's suddenly obvious what you need to do.

The key is to wait. Don't crowd the mental space you just created. The answers will come.

Why or how does this work?

(The rest of this post is optional. I would rather you spent 5 minutes trying the technique.)

Theory #1

This is based on two books, The Mind Illuminated and The Genie Within: Your Subconscious Mind.

Say you have a problem or question that's been on your mind that you don't know the solution to. It's been pinging about in your head. Thoughts about the question keep recurring and distracting you. It may keep you awake at night. You may even dream about it. The conscious part of your brain, the part you are aware of, has been trying to figure out a solution. But the conscious part of your brain has lots of other things on its mind, namely your moment to moment conscious experience. There's a lot going on. Even if you set aside some time to actively think about your problem, it's really just surface thinking prone to distractions. You may make better progress if you sit down and write about your problem. That will force you to think more slowly and clearly, but it's still surface level conscious thinking.

What you may not realise is that all the time this question has been on your conscious mind, it was also being worked on by your subconscious mind. By definition, you are not aware of what's going on in your subconscious mind. That doesn't mean there is nothing going on. Quite the opposite, it is estimated that the subconscious mind is responsible for approximately 95% of brain processing. Think about that for a second. You are clueless about 95% of what's going on in your mind.

Where do your thoughts come from? They just pop into existence, right? Wrong, they are fed to you by your subconscious mind. The popping into existence that you experience is them moving from subconscious to conscious. One millisecond you are not aware of the thought, the next you are.

During your regular moment to moment distracted existence, your subconscious is feeding you a jumble of thoughts as it tries to deal with all the things you are experiencing. It is performing an unimaginably complex juggling act.

To find out what your subconscious really thinks about one specific thing, you need to create a relaxed, calm, distraction free mental space. That's what the first two minutes of this exercise does. Then you ask the question and wait to see what thoughts and ideas your subconscious feeds you.

Theory #2

You are tapping into your Intuition, your inner wisdom.

Which is probably just the opinion of your subconscious mind given a nice name, Intuition.

Theory #3

It is Divine inspiration.

Careful, this is a slippery slope. Next you will be receiving messages from God telling you to tell other people what to do.

Personally, I prefer to take credit and responsibility for my ideas.

The honest answer? I don't know for sure how or why this works. But it does.

Try it the next time you are stuck. 5 minutes. What do you have to lose?

I would love to hear what you think and your experience trying this technique.