You are faced with a task, a problem you need to solve. There are many ways to start, making it hard to choose. Once a choice is made, further down the road it turns out to be unfit, and you reset back to the start. Idea after idea, option after option, there’s a slow progress. After each unsuccessful attempt, you are back to square one.
If only there were a way to know which of the many options would work. A way to fast-forward and retrospectively discern the decisions that led to success. Rather than starting at the beginning, this crossroad of decisions, why not project ourselves a bit further along the trajectory?
Why not start from the middle?
Overcoming hard challenges yields invaluable experience. In retrospect, it becomes evident which of decisions were good and which were not so much. This retrospective clarity is the perspective we need when confronting new problems.
Let's term this approach “starting from the middle”. Envisioning from the midpoint means to visualize what has been done so far and what remains to be done. From this vantage point, it becomes feasible to identify the probable steps taken and actions that are likely to lead forward.
To illustrate, imagine setting a goal to write a novel. The prospect is thrilling yet overwhelming. You are inundated with advice on plot structure, character development, narrative style, and countless other aspects of novel-writing. Where do you begin? Each attempt to outline or draft the first chapter seems inadequate, leading you back to the beginning, frustrated and uncertain.
Now let’s take a midpoint view. Project yourself some time into the future. Imagine you’ve written half of your novel. What does your manuscript look like? What themes have emerged? How have your characters evolved? What plot twists have captivated your readers? Do you feel the narrative flow is engaging and coherent?
If envisioning the mid-term result proves elusive, perhaps there’s too much information missing. It’s important to start not too far from the beginning, ensuring it's possible to connect the dots between the middle and the start. Equally vital is recognizing that not all problems have a solution. Identifying an insurmountable problem early conserves time, energy, and mental well-being.
Summary
The beginning of a problem-solving overwhelms our minds with myriad of options. Working backwards from the goal can occasionally be effective, but often the disconnect is too vast to bridge the end result with the current state. Starting from the middle seems like an optimal strategy.
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