The power of the rubber duck

There’s a lot of power in talking through a problem, sometimes even if no one is around to hear it. You may be thinking out loud. This is known as rubber duck problem solving, because people often talk to rubber ducks. You make progress by talking to an inanimate object, or yourself; you either solve the problem, or hone in on a specific part if you’re still stuck and ask a much better informed question. The question is clearer, takes up less of the other person’s time, and maybe even gets them inspired or intrigued.

Hugh, Matt, Anjali and the team at Storythings linked to an excerpt of Creative Doing entitled “Study the craft,” here’s how they describe it: 

Creative Doing is a new book containing “75 prompts for unblocking creativity” from Herbert [Lui]. This really short exercise has helped me so many times, which is why I frequently say to my friends “if you ever need a pair of ears to talk at, gimme a call.” A lot of the time, they don’t even need someone to listen. By saying them out loud they are able to unpack the challenges that have built up in their heads. (1 min read)

This feels, to me, like the future of long-form reading (which is why I signed and published with Holloway—a topic I want to write more about in the future); they shared an excerpt, which their readers—and now you!—can go read and learn more about. No need to click through to a product page or a review, just read the actual sample directly from the book. It’s native to how information spreads now.

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