My 12 Favorite Problems

This post is part of a series I am writing about building a second brain course and how I am building my second brain in RoamResearch. Check out the other posts 👇

• Part 1 – Introduction to Building A Second Brain(BASB)
• Part 2 – My 12 Favorite Problems
• Part 3 – Project List
• Part 4 – My PARA setup in Roam Research
• Part 5 – My Information Capture Workflows and Tools

We always have problems to solve whether it is a broad question of human existence or a focused question about our work. When a question arises, we give it a quick thought and forget about it. Richard Feynman, the renowned physicists approaches this differently.

“You have to keep a dozen of your favorite problems constantly present in your mind, although by and large, they will lay in a dormant state. Every time you hear read a new trick or a new result, test it against each of your 12 problems to see whether it helps. Every once in a while there will be a hit and people will say “How did he do it. He must be a genius.”

Richard Feynman

I love Richard Feynman’s idea of having 12 favorite problems so that we can connect dots in unusual places and times. Everyday projects we work on cannot drive our long term learning and vision. We need to have problems which triggers our mind to explore and create.

I learned about 12 Favorite problems through the building the second brain course. Tiago mentioned that these questions are not yet another problem to figure out. When you ask these questions in the sprit of true curiosity and gratitude, sometimes they will lead you in a different direction.

Here are my current favorite problems

1. How to work, play, and laugh like children?
2. How to balance my days well between work, family, and personal interest?
3. How to make my team, work effectively?
4. How to become a solopreneur/entrepreneur?
5. How to spend more time in nature with family?
6. What is enough money to live a good life? What will I do with it, when I have more than enough?
7. What would be my ideal day? What will it be after I become financially independent?
8. How to be a hero to my kids?
9. How do I become better at relationships of all kinds?
10. How to stop judging others?
11. How not to care about what others think of me?
12. How do I become more authentic with myself and others?
13. How can I help others be successful?

Frank Anaya stated that “We should see problems as a gift”. Problems solve a need. The process of just writing down these problems gave me lots of ideas. As soon as I wrote the problem #5 “How to spend more time in nature with family?”, I signed up for a state park pass and we as a family are planning to hike/walk the state parks here in South Carolina.

What are your favorite problems?

This post is part of a series I am writing about building a second brain course and how I am building my second brain in RoamResearch. Check out the other posts 👇

• Part 1 – Introduction to Building A Second Brain(BASB)
• Part 2 – My 12 Favorite Problems
• Part 3 – Project List
• Part 4 – My PARA setup in Roam Research
• Part 5 – My Information Capture Workflows and Tools