Heuristics are mental tools—not guaranteed, but powerful.Some classics:	•	Try special cases	•	Draw a diagram	•	Eliminate impossibilities	•	Use symmetryReal problem solvers think beyond plug-and-play.

Use Heuristics, Not Formulas Alone

Uncertainty isn’t a weakness. It’s the birthplace of problem solving.Pólya invites us to linger in the unknown—to poke, prod, and explore.Sometimes, “I don’t know… yet” is the best start.

Don’t Fear Not Knowing

The point isn’t to memorize techniques.It’s to become the kind of thinker who naturally explores, adapts, and reflects.Problem solving is an art—and like any art, it gets better the more you practice.Start with the next question life throws at you.

The Art Lives in You

Problem solving is a skill—not an inborn gift.With practice, you get sharper:	•	You recognize patterns faster	•	You get comfortable with uncertainty	•	You fail betterYour mind gets leaner, keener, wiser.

Train Your Mind Like a Muscle

This is where most get stuck: not from lack of smarts, but from distraction or rushing.Stick to your method.Be accurate. Be patient.Test each step.Mistakes here don’t mean failure—they’re feedback.

Step Three - Carry Out the Plan

Finished? Good. Now replay the game.	•	Can you check your answer another way?	•	Could this method help solve other problems?	•	What did you learn about how you think?Reflection turns a one-time win into long-term wisdom.

Step Four - Look Back and Reflect

Once the fog clears, ask: Have I seen a problem like this before?Use analogies. Recall similar challenges.Common strategies:	•	Break it into parts	•	Work backward	•	Try simpler versions	•	Spot patternsDon’t wait for genius—look for leverage.

Step Two - Devise a Plan

“A great discovery solves a great problem but there is a grain of discovery in the solution of any problem. Your problem may be modest; but if it challenges your curiosity and brings into play your inventive faculties, and if you solve it by your own means, you may experience the tension and enjoy the triumph of discovery.”

Pólya champions the curious mind.Instead of “What’s the answer?” try:	•	“What would happen if…?”	•	“Can I see this differently?”	•	“Why does this work?”Questions open doors. Answers just close one.

Think in Questions, Not Just Answers

Before you jump to solving anything, stop and ask: What exactly is the problem?Don’t rush. Restate it in your own words. Draw it. Visualize it. Ask:	•	What is given?	•	What’s being asked?	•	What do I need to find?Understanding is half the battle won.

Start Here - Understand the Problem

“It is better to solve one problem five different ways than to solve five problems one way.”

A perennial bestseller by eminent mathematician G. Polya, How to Solve It will show anyone in any field how to think straight. In lucid and appealing prose, Polya reveals how the mathematical method of demonstrating a proof or finding an unknown can be of help in attacking any problem that can be "reasoned" out--from building a bridge to winning a game of anagrams. Generations of readers have relished Polya's deft--indeed, brilliant--instructions on stripping away irrelevancies and going straight to the heart of the problem.

GEORGE PÓLYA

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