Thinking Backward (or, Succeed by Avoiding Failure)

We tend to equate success with doing more: chasing goals, making changes, and piling on actions. The irony is that a lot of real success comes from resisting the urge to act.

All I want to know is where I’m going to die, so I’ll never go there. — Charlie Munger (Berkshire Hathaway)

There is a technical name for this way of thinking: #inversion. It’s a mathematical concept from Carl Jacobi, a German mathematician who solved some of the hardest problems in his field by following one simple rule: solve hard problems by thinking backward.

Hard Problems and Inversion

The most difficult problems are usually easier to solve when you look at them backward. If you only look at a challenge from one direction, you’re likely to miss the root of the issue. Inversion forces you to uncover hidden obstacles. It doesn’t just show you what you should do; it shows you what you should stop doing.

For example, if you want more innovation at work, brainstorming programs and perks is the forward move. Inversion asks: what destroys innovation? List the pain points, and then remove them (for instance, long approval chains, blame cultures, unclear goals). You’ll often find your organization already practices a few of those anti-patterns.

Avoiding Stupidity is Easier Than Seeking Brilliance

Think of forward thinking as additive: you add features, policies, or actions. Backward thinking is subtractive: you remove barriers, bad habits, and obvious mistakes (stop smoking, stop micromanaging, stop approving every low-value feature).

The problem with always trying to add is that even with the best intentions, new actions often create new problems. Thinking backward, or subtracting, rarely has that negative side effect.

Inverting a problem won’t solve every challenge you face, but it will keep you out of trouble. Think of it as a filter for your brain. You don’t need to spend all your energy trying to be a genius; you’ll get much further just by working hard to avoid being obviously stupid.