I find myself thinking in reverse more often than I am thinking forward. What is “thinking in reverse”? I believe thinking in reverse is seeing the end goal, and then trace from the end-goal to the present moment. Things like, I want to make x dollars a year in salary, I want to help this company make x dollars in revenue, I need to get these pieces into this position in order to solve this puzzle. If I want to be have this sort of lifestyle and live in this location in 10 year, what are the things I’d have to do, where do I have to be, who do I need to know? So on…
I wonder if this is part of planning, or if I merely came to a self-realization that everyone pretty much thinks this way.
The concept of “budgeting” is a clear example of thinking in reverse. How much money can I spend? What can I spend this money on? A forward thinking approach might be, I’ve buying, and bought x items, and then checking the balance to see how little money is left in your bank account and make a decision from there.
I like solving puzzles from two ends, the beginning, and the end. What does the end have to look like, what does it look like in the beginning? Then I meet everything somewhere in the middle, and I have my optimum path. This technique works really well for me in any type of pathing sort of puzzle (think mazes). Come to think of it, even Soduku puzzle in a way tell you how things MUST be before you even start.
Makes you wonder what things you really thing forward on, and if you spend all your time thinking reverse, what type of life are you leading, what does it mean, is it a good or bad thing?