When Stuck - Problem-Solving Dispatch
Different stuck-types need different techniques. Match symptom to technique.
[GOAL]
Quickly identify which problem-solving skill to use based on the type of stuck-ness.
[PROCESS]
1. Identify stuck-type
| How You're Stuck | Use This Skill |
|---|---|
| Complexity spiraling - Same thing 5+ ways, growing special cases | [[simplification-cascades]] |
| Need innovation - Conventional solutions inadequate | [[collision-zone-thinking]] |
| Recurring patterns - Same issue different places | [[meta-pattern-recognition]] |
| Forced by assumptions - "Must be done this way" | [[inversion-exercise]] |
| Scale uncertainty - Will it work in production? | [[scale-game]] |
| Code broken - Wrong behavior, test failing | Use debugging rules |
2. Load that skill
Read the specific technique's SKILL.md
3. Apply technique
Follow its [PROCESS]
4. If still stuck
Try different technique or combine techniques
[COMBINING TECHNIQUES]
Some problems need multiple:
- •Simplification + Meta-pattern: Find pattern, then simplify all instances
- •Collision + Inversion: Force metaphor, then invert its assumptions
- •Scale + Simplification: Extremes reveal what to eliminate
[IMPORTANT]
- •Match symptom to technique
- •One technique at a time
- •Combine if first doesn't work
- •Document what you tried
See Also
- •[[simplification-cascades]]
- •[[collision-zone-thinking]]
- •[[meta-pattern-recognition]]
- •[[inversion-exercise]]
- •[[scale-game]]
- •
rules/debugging.md- For code bugs