287: Solving Pivot Puzzles with A.J. Jacobs

Do you like puzzles? If you do, you’re far from alone. An estimated 50 million people do crosswords every day and more than 450 million Rubik’s Cubes have been sold. People like puzzles. In his new book, today’s guest, A.J. Jacobs, quotes Maki Kaji—the late godfather of Sudoku, who said puzzles are a journey, articulated with just two punctuation marks:

? → !

“Kaji said the key is to embrace the middle part, the arrow, the journey. Don’t be obsessed with endings and perfection.” Today, we’re talking about that arrow, the journeys we find ourselves on, and the different ways puzzles can come up in our lives.

More About A.J.: A.J. Jacobs is an author, journalist, lecturer and human guinea pig. He has written four New York Times bestsellers that combine memoir, science, humor, and a dash of self-help. Today we’re talking about his latest book, The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life.

🌟3 Key Takeaways:

• While outsourcing is critical to growing your business and freeing up more of your time, consider keeping research on your own desk. No one else will pick up exactly the same key ideas, details, or inspiration that you will. 

• Many of our ideas go nowhere, and that’s fine because that 1% that sticks can be huge. If an idea keeps popping up for you weeks after having it, pay attention to it. 

• Don’t keep up with the details of every news story. It’s bad for you, and for the world. It keeps you from seeing the big picture of how you can help the world.

• Wear overalls. 

✅Next Action: Try to go a week without gossiping. Some gossip can be good and valuable, but most of it isn’t helpful. Long term, it won’t make you feel good, so try not saying any negative things about people for a week and see how you feel.

📘Books Mentioned:

• Free Time: Lose The Busywork, Love Your Business 

• Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One

• The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life

• The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

• The Future Is Analog: How to Create a More Human World 

• The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses 

🔗Resources Mentioned: 

• A.J. Jacobs on the web, Twitter: @ajjacobs, Facebook, LinkedIn 

• Article: My Outsourced Life

• World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship 

• Spelling Bee

• Duolingo

🎧Related Podcast Episodes: 

• 061: Virtual Freedom: Overcome Superhero Syndrome and Start Outsourcing with Chris Ducker

• 207:How to Develop Your Book and Big Idea (Part 1)

• 208: Your Book and Big Idea (Part 2)

• 273: On Powerful Questions and New Neural Pathways

• Arm Chair Expert: A.J. Jacobs (on puzzles and living biblically)

• Making Sense: #110—The Change Artist, A Conversation with A.J. Jacobs

• Tell Me Something I Don’t Know: Farming Without Sun or Soil and Eating Manna From Heaven: TMSIDK Episode 35 

• Free Time: 113: Pivoting from Breather to Practice While Setting Better Boundaries with Julien Smith

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📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/287

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