Higher Level Thinking
“When you view the world as a series of outputs, you form opinions. But when you view the world as a series of systems, you form strategies.” — Channing Allen
In its essence, higher level thinking means taking a step back from a problem or situation and considering it from a broader perspective. It involves looking at the bigger picture, rather than getting bogged down in the details. Instead of focusing solely on optimizing individual components, consider whether you are optimizing the entire system. Generally, the higher the level at which you optimize, the more significant your return on investment is likely to be.
One way to think about this concept is to imagine a ladder. When you’re on the bottom rung of the ladder, you’re focused on the immediate details right in front of you. But as you climb higher, you gain a broader view of the situation, which allows you to see patterns, connections, and solutions that may not have been visible from the lower rungs that may lead you to change your previous decision.
This may be really hard to do specially when you might have invested a lot of time and energy towards your earlier decision or goal. It’s going to be super hard to confront the possibility that you might have been focusing on the wrong details or that the strategy you have used to reach here won’t help you go any further. But what we need to realise is that just working hard without ever asking about what are some better things to work on is a hidden form of laziness.
Thinking one level higher can be a powerful mental tool for problem-solving, decision-making, and strategic thinking. It allows you to take a more holistic view of a situation, which can help you identify underlying causes and long-term consequences. By looking at a situation from a higher level, you can avoid getting stuck in the weeds or overwhelmed by the details.
One practical way to implement this mental model is to ask yourself questions that encourage you to zoom out and take a higher-level view. For example, you might ask:
- What are the broader implications of a decision or action in your life?
- How does this fit into your overall strategy or goals?
- Is this problem due to a local glitch in the machine or is it a system issue?
By thinking one level higher, you can gain a more comprehensive understanding of a situation, which can help you make more informed and strategic decisions.
