Mar 10, 2010
The Power of Great Questions
Reading Rework, the new book by 37Signals founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, is an education in the power of asking the right questions.
Take their chapter, “Reasons to Quit.” It’s two pages of very simple questions, with a little explanation. But ask those questions of your product, your business, or your life, and you’ll be well on your way to thinking more clearly about each.
Here are some sample questions. Stuff in brackets mine:
- Why are you doing this?
- What problem are you solving? [Are you solving the right problem?]
- Is this actually useful?
- Will this change behavior? [Will this change really change anything? Will it change what you want to change?]
- Is there an easier way?
- What could you be doing instead?
- Is it worth it?
Why are questions so powerful? They force us to focus. And on the right things. How often do you really think clearly about what you’re doing and why? Minutes per day? Seconds? Because questions force you to think, because they force you to find the answers yourself, they lead you to insights you would never consider, or never consider in the same way.
Which reminds me: I’ve been meaning to keep a list of great questions. Consider this a start.
Go ahead and purchase Rework from Amazon. It’s a quick read, packed with so simple they’re inspiring suggestions and helpful observations. The 250 pages can be read cover to cover in a couple of hours. Of course you’ll get the most from it if you actually start putting it into action. Like most wisdom, you may find that a simple surface conceals subtle depths.