The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool. Richard Feynman
Richard Feynman was an American theoretical physicist, known for his work in Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Electrodynamics, Path Integral Formulation, particle physics and many more areas. For his work he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965. When people asked him about how he could be able to tackle such a diverse range of problems, he answered that he had a list of his twelve favorite problems. He would think about them all the time, and when he had a new idea, he would check if it could be applied to one of his twelve favorite problems. If it could, he would work on it. If not, he would discard it.
Here is the list of his twelve favorite problems:
- How can we measure the probability that a lump of uranium might explode too soon?
- How can I accurately keep track of time in my head?
- How can we design a large-scale computing system using only basic equipment?
- How can I write a sentence in perfect handwritten Chinese script?
- What is the unifying principle underlying light, radio, magnetism, and electricity?
- How can I sustain a two-handed polyrhythm on the drums?
- What are the most effective ways of teaching introductory physics concepts?
- What is the smallest working machine that can be constructed?
- How can I compute the emission of light from an excited atom?
- What was the root cause of the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster?
- How could the discoveries of nuclear physics be used to promote peace instead of war?
- How can I keep doing important research with all the fame brought by the Nobel Prize?
As you can see, these problems are open ended questions, they belong to different areas of knowledge, and they are not easy to solve. They are also very personal, and they are not necessarily the most important problems in the world. But they are the problems that Feynman was most interested in, and that's why he kept thinking about them.
I concocted my own list of my favorite problems, which I want to share with you.
- How do I focus without stressing?
- How do I keep motivated?
- How do I maintain a routine?
- How can I become a morning person?
- How can I improve my posture?
- How can I connect better with my feelings?
- How do I become less anxious?
- How can I live more the present moment?
- How can I love others better?
- How can I be more selfless?
- What are my dreams and how can I follow my dreams?
- How can I improve my nutrition?
I also would like to invite you to create your own list, so you can always come back to them in case of need. I would love to hear about your list, so please share it with me!