A Spark by Innocent Mwatsikesimbe from Questions Asked, chapter 15

Distance to a solution isn’t measured in effort or luck; it’s measured in questions. A problem that looks immovable is usually just a few unasked questions wide, and each one asked closes part of the gap. Being stuck, most of the time, means the asking stopped too soon — or never started.

Innocent used to question only when a challenge forced him to. It solved problems, but he came to call it underutilization: why wait? Nothing stops anyone from asking at any time, and “many problems in life can be avoided by questioning yourself.” Aimed at his own routines, questions kept turning up flaws he had simply never noticed; aimed at where a habit was heading, they caught destructive ones before much damage was done.

The habit even polices itself. Procrastination and laziness never survive honest self-examination, because “it’s hard to lie to yourself.” And every answer leaves the mind that asked a little stronger for the next question.