Ask great questions

The world's smartest people don't have all the answers. But they do have better questions.

I’m obsessed with asking great questions.

A great question is like a sharp knife, or a drill. It can cut through layers of bullshit & instantly bring the truth to the surface. Poor questions are the exact opposite. They take multiple attempts, trying to ask the same thing in different ways, and even then - the result is uneven, and unclear.

A great question is like a high-resolution camera. As soon as you use it, the picture becomes clearer. Things that were previously grey and blurry become sharp. You can zoom right in, and see the hidden details and contours of the problem or zoom way out, and see the full picture. Poor questions are the exact opposite. The picture remains hazy, details get missed, and each question becomes another unsuccessful attempt at clearing the fog.

To get better at asking great questions, first learn to recognize them. Anytime you hear an effective question, write it down. Keep a “swipe file” of great questions, so you can refer to them as needed. I have my own, sorted by different topics.

Here are some of my personal favourites:

• Daily Prioritization
  • If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day?
• Problem Solving
  • What would this look like if it were easy?
  • Will this solution fix the problem permanently, or can the problem return in the future?
• Life
  • If today was the last day of my life, would I want to do at I am about to do today?
  • If I repeated this day for a 100 days, would my life be better or worse?
  • What would I do if I knew I wouldn’t fail? What would I do if I had a $100 million in the bank?

Asking great questions is one of the most powerful ways to accomplishing more in life. It’s a highly underrated skill, and it’s one that has asymmetric upside. As they say: Ask a better question, get a better answer.

So forget about finding answers. Ask great questions.