# Learn to solve problems the way a great thinker did

Breaks down how a historical figure approached problems, separates documented habits from legend, and turns them into exercises.

- Topic: Thinking & Decisions
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Productivity, Summarize, Explain & Teach, Fill-in Template, Step-by-step
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/learn-to-solve-problems-the-way-a-great-thinker-did

## Prompt

```text
Teach me how [PERSON - e.g. "Marie Curie", "Leonardo da Vinci", "Richard Feynman"] approached problems, so I can practice the same habits.

**Why this person:** [what I admire - e.g. "how they broke hard problems down"]
**Where I want to apply it:** [my work or field and a real problem I'm facing]
**Time I can spend practicing:** [e.g. "15 minutes a day for 3 weeks"]

Steps:
1. Summarize their known thinking methods and working habits, citing the kind of source each comes from (their notebooks, letters, biographies). Separate well-documented habits from popular legends or misattributed quotes, and say when you're unsure.
2. Turn each method into a plain principle I can use (e.g. "explain it simply to find gaps", "keep a question notebook").
3. Apply 2-3 of these principles to my real problem, step by step, so I can see them work.
4. Note what doesn't transfer - context, resources, or traits that made their approach work for them but may not for me.

Return:
- A short profile of their thinking style.
- A table: Method | Evidence it was theirs | Principle | How to practice it.
- A practice plan that fits the practice time I gave, with daily exercises that build from simple to hard.
- A one-page checklist I can use the next time I'm stuck.

Don't invent quotes. If you paraphrase, say so.
```

## What to fill in

- what I admire - e.g. "how they broke hard problems down"
- my work or field and a real problem I'm facing
- e.g. "15 minutes a day for 3 weeks"

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.