Niranjan Paranjape

How to Help a Friend Solve Their Problem

Haven't tried this yet, but it should work. Try it out, let me know.

Why Questions Beat Solutions

The best help isn't solving their problem - it's helping them discover their own solution. When someone asks for advice, our instinct is to provide answers. But your answers come from your context, your assumptions, your blind spots.

Think-center changes this. Instead of one mind attacking the problem, multiple perspectives explore it. Instead of your solution imposed on their situation, questions emerge that unlock THEIR insights.

This protocol turns you from advice-giver to thought partner. You explore their problem deeply, then send back the keys (questions) rather than the treasure (answers). They'll find better treasure than you ever could.

How It Works (Simple Version)

Think-center is just a way of looking at problems from multiple angles. Imagine having a team of advisors in your head - one finds patterns, one builds solutions, one spots problems. That's all it is.

  1. Friend sends problem → "Help, I can't hire good developers"
  2. You explore it from different angles:
    • Strategic view: "What's the real hiring goal?"
    • Practical view: "What's broken in the process?"
    • Skeptical view: "What assumptions need checking?"
  3. Write down what you notice → Just quick notes as insights emerge
  4. Find 3 questions that matter → The ones that shift how they see the problem
  5. Send your exploration → "I looked at your hiring challenge from several angles. Here's what stood out..."

No special software needed. Just structured thinking with different "hats" on. The magic is in exploring their problem without trying to solve it.

The Detailed Setup

When someone sends you their problem:

  1. Create a new project in think-center
    mkdir projects/friend-scaling-problem
    cd projects/friend-scaling-problem
  2. Add their artifacts
    • Their problem statement → problem.md
    • Any context they sent → context/
    • Their failed attempts → attempts.md
  3. Use think-center to explore
    "Council, my friend needs help with scaling. Let's explore."

The Process

As you work:

  • Council members note observations → observations.md
  • Key patterns emerge → patterns.md
  • Questions crystallize → questions.md
  • Pivotal moments captured → pivot-points.md

Multiple sessions? No problem. Each adds to the project directory.

The Package

When done:

  1. Add chat transcript → sessions/
  2. Create summary → exploration-response.md
  3. Distill your 3 questions → questions-for-friend.md
  4. Zip and send

What They Get

friend-scaling-problem/
├── questions-for-friend.md (start here)
├── exploration-response.md (summary)
├── patterns.md (what we noticed)
├── observations.md (council notes)
├── pivot-points.md (key moments)
└── sessions/ (if they want depth)

Why This Should Work

  • Everything in one place
  • They see your thinking process
  • Questions > Answers
  • Patterns > Solutions
  • They can build on your exploration

The Protocol

  1. Keep each problem in its own project
  2. Let Council members document naturally
  3. Preserve the exploration journey
  4. Send questions, not prescriptions
  5. Include permission to diverge

Try It

Next time someone asks for help:

  • Don't solve in your head
  • Create project directory
  • Explore with Council
  • Package and send
  • Watch better solutions emerge

Haven't tested this yet. But given how think-center works, it should create perfect problem-forking packets. Let me know what happens.

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