Matt over at Signal vs. Noise introduced us to Oblique Strategies today. It’s essentially a deck of cards that contain thought provoking questions designed to remind us that there are other ways to solving a problem:

The Oblique Strategies evolved from me being in a number of working situations when the panic of the situation – particularly in studios – tended to make me quickly forget that there were others ways of working and that there were tangential ways of attacking problems that were in many senses more interesting than the direct head-on approach. If you’re in a panic, you tend to take the head-on approach because it seems to be the one that’s going to yield the best results Of course, that often isn’t the case – it’s just the most obvious and – apparently – reliable method. (Brian Eno, one of the cards creators, from A Primer on Oblique Strategizing)

Many times when you get stuck on a tough problem, it helps to step back for a moment and consider what other angles of attack you might take at solving it. The cards could be a great way to help remind you of that.

UPDATE: Check out the cards online here.