Third Right Answer
Push past the first acceptable answer to uncover less obvious possibilities
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 93%
When an answer appears, do not mistake adequacy for completion. Record it, then deliberately search for the second, third, fourth, or fifth answer that could also be right. The constraint forces the mind beyond its familiar response and into alternatives it would otherwise never inspect. Justin presents this as one of the granular exercises that showed him creativity was a process rather than a fixed trait. The method does not require rejecting the first answer; it creates a broader set from which to choose after deeper exploration.
Origin
Justin learned exercises for demystifying creativity from A Whack on the Side of the Head and describes continuing beyond the first right answer.
Core principles
- 01The first correct answer is rarely the only one
- 02Stopping early hides less obvious possibilities
- 03A forced additional answer changes the search space
- 04Creativity can be prompted through process
How to run it
- 1
Capture the first answer
Write down the initial acceptable response so it remains available without ending the search.
Watch out Do not polish the first answer while alternatives remain unexplored.
- 2
Demand another answer
Generate a materially different second answer that could also satisfy the problem.
Pro tip Change the frame rather than merely changing wording.
- 3
Reach the third right answer
Continue until at least a third defensible answer exists, then go deeper if the search remains productive.
Pro tip Use the ordinal target to prevent yourself from stopping early.
- 4
Choose after exploration
Compare the alternatives against the actual objective only after generating them.
Watch out More unusual does not automatically mean better.
In the wild
Tim recalls Derek Sivers declining to stop with Richard Branson as the first person associated with success. Sivers moves to the second and third answers because success depends on the person's goals.
→ The later answer becomes more thoughtful and less automatic.
Common mistakes
Stopping at acceptable
The first workable answer can close the search before less obvious options appear.
Generating cosmetic variants
A differently worded version of the same idea does not expand the option set.
Is it for you?
Best for
Analytical people who need a simple prompt for generating alternatives to a creative or strategic problem.
Not ideal for
Emergencies where an adequate answer must be acted on immediately.
From the transcript
“Most people stop. Instead say, "Okay, I'm going to look for the third right answer, the fourth right answer, the fifth," right?”
“I'm going to look beyond that to go deeper and find more things.”
From the episode
#687: Justin Gary — Taking the Path Less Traveled, The Phenomenon of “Magic: The Gathering,” How Analytical People Can Become “Creative” People, Finding the Third Right Answer, and How to Escape Your Need for Control
Justin Gary