There’s a particular thought process that I slip into every so often, and it’s something I can remember doing for quite awhile now. It’s basically a variant of the “one of these things is not like the other” game straight out of Sesame Street and it’s something that helps me divert and concentrate my thoughts (albeit briefly) on a new challenge. I’ll find a group of three or more objects and try to find something that excludes each item. For example:

  • Saab 9-3 5-door
  • Ford Focus sedan
  • Mazda 626 coupe

Using that as an example (because that’s exactly what I happened to be focused on today as I was leaving work), I can say that the Saab and the Ford both have 4 passenger doors; the Saab and the Mazda both have tail lights that extend onto the trunk/hatch, and the Mazda and Ford both have separate trunks. Basic? Of course, but it’s fun and simple, and expandable to as many items as you can focus on.