Most people try to solve problems by staring straight at them.
But your mind doesn’t work in straight lines—it works in tensions.
Here’s a simple trick that uses that fact to your advantage.
It’s called the Three-Part Mind Trick, and it turns any problem into a structure your brain can actually process.
1. Break the problem into three parts
Every situation has:
1. What it is
The idea, feeling, or decision.
2. What it isn’t
The opposite viewpoint you’re usually avoiding.
3. The space between
The middle ground where new insight lives.
Most people only look at Part 1.
A few look at Part 2.
Almost nobody looks at Part 3—the part that matters.
2. Why holding opposite ideas activates deep thinking
When you hold an idea and its opposite at the same time, your brain experiences mild cognitive dissonance—a tiny, productive tension.
Instead of shutting down, your subconscious systems switch on:
- pattern recognition
- intuition
- emotional awareness
- creative synthesis
Cognitive dissonance becomes a signal for the deeper mind to pay attention.
This is why clarity often appears during:
- showers
- walks
- daydreams
- falling asleep
Your subconscious is resolving the tension.
3. Use a triangle to “carry” the problem
A simple triangle is a perfect mental symbol:
- one side for the thing
- one side for the opposite
- the connecting edge for the resolution
When you “turn the triangle over in your mind,” you’re doing more than using your imagination—you’re letting your brain rotate the problem through different perspectives.
This frees your working memory and lets the subconscious take over.
It’s called symbolic compression:
shrinking a complex issue into a shape your mind can manipulate intuitively.
4. Try it right now
Think of something you’re stuck on.
- What’s the thing?
- What’s its opposite?
- What’s the space between them?
Now imagine it as a double-sided triangle.
Turn it over once or twice in your mind.
You’ll feel the shift—your perspective loosens, and your mind starts working on the problem without effort.
The takeaway
The Three-Part Mind Trick works because it speaks the native language of the brain:
- tension
- contrast
- synthesis
Turn the triangle, and your mind turns with it.
The Wayfinder's Spiral 