--- title: 5 Simple Notions That Help Solve Problems description: Every problem can be broken down into smaller and easier pieces canonical: https://time.com/3716716/5-simple-notions-that-help-solve-problems/ author: Shane Parrish article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-23T12:30:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T08:13:20.550Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 5 Simple Notions That Help Solve Problems og:description: Every problem can be broken down into smaller and easier pieces og:url: https://time.com/3716716/5-simple-notions-that-help-solve-problems/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt330914c96f0472ee/6987803ba988ca069f6ac931/157337589-1-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: math-questions-blackboard og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 5 Simple Notions That Help Solve Problems twitter:description: Every problem can be broken down into smaller and easier pieces twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt330914c96f0472ee/6987803ba988ca069f6ac931/157337589-1-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 5 Simple Notions That Help Solve Problems by [Shane Parrish](/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish Feb 23, 2015 12:30 PM CUT  blackboard: mathematics blackboard: mathematicsGetty Images by [Shane Parrish](/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish Feb 23, 2015 12:30 PM CUT Here are five simple notions, found in [Damn Right!: Behind the Scenes with Berkshire Hathaway Billionaire Charlie Munger](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=0471446912&asin-it=0471446912&asin-fr=0471446912&asin-de=0471446912&asin-uk=0471446912&asin-ca=0471446912&asin-com=0471446912 "undefined"), that Charlie Munger, the billionaire business partner of Warren Buffett, finds helpful in solving problems. \*\*\* **1\. Simplify** --- > “” --- \*\*\* **2\. Numerical Fluency** --- > “” --- \*\*\* **3\. Invert** [Inverting the problem](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/10/inversion/ "undefined") won’t always solve it, but it will help you avoid trouble. Call it the avoiding stupidity filter. --- > “” --- \*\*\* **4\. Study The Basics** The basics are something that keeps coming up. The first of [the five elements of effective thinking](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/07/five-elements-of-effective-thinking/ "undefined") is understand deeply. Munger also believes in the basics: --- > “” --- This happens in part because professional advisors are often undone, not by their conscious malfeasance rather by troubles found in their subconscious bias. --- > “” --- \*\*\* **5\. Lollapalooza Effects** And you need to combine really big things. --- > “” --- \*\*\* **Still Curious?** See how Munger applies these in [this essay](http://mungerisms.blogspot.ca/2010/04/charlie-munger-turning-2-million-into-2.html "undefined"). Learn more about the wit and wisdom of Charlie Munger by picking up a copy of [Poor Charlie’s Almanack](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=1578645018&asin-it=1578645018&asin-fr=1578645018&asin-de=1578645018&asin-uk=1578645018&asin-ca=1578645018&asin-com=1578645018 "undefined")and [Damn Right!: Behind the Scenes with Berkshire Hathaway billionaire Charlie Munger](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=0471446912&asin-it=0471446912&asin-fr=0471446912&asin-de=0471446912&asin-uk=0471446912&asin-ca=0471446912&asin-com=0471446912 "undefined"). **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Farnam Street_**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/ "undefined")**_._** **Join over 50,000 readers and get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/newsletter/ "undefined")**.** ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3716716/5-simple-notions-that-help-solve-problems/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3716716/5-simple-notions-that-help-solve-problems/"},"headline":"5 Simple Notions That Help Solve Problems","datePublished":"2015-02-23T12:30:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:13:20.550Z","description":"Every problem can be broken down into smaller and easier pieces","url":"https://time.com/3716716/5-simple-notions-that-help-solve-problems/","keywords":["Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt330914c96f0472ee/6987803ba988ca069f6ac931/157337589-1-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shane Parrish","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt330914c96f0472ee/6987803ba988ca069f6ac931/157337589-1-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"math-questions-blackboard","caption":"math-questions-blackboard","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3716716/5-simple-notions-that-help-solve-problems/","name":"5 Simple Notions That Help Solve Problems"}}]}] ```