Charlie Munger mentions Invert as an effective tool often in the book Poor Charlie’s Almanack. Invert means you look at your problem from the opposite perspective, and it may reveal new insights.
“What’s the flip side? What can go wrong that I haven’t seen?”
“Invert, always invert. Many hard problems are best solved only when they are addressed backward.”
“For instance, when almost everyone else was trying to revise the electromagnetic laws of Maxwell to be consistent with the motion laws of Newton, Einstein discovered special relativity as he made an 180- degree turn and revised Newton’s laws to fit Maxwell’s.”
“Well, great declarers in bridge think, “How can I take the necessary winners?” But they think it through backward, “What could possibly go wrong that could cause me to have too many losers?”
“If you want to help India, the question you should consider asking is not: “How can I help India?” Instead, you should ask: “How can I hurt India?” You find what will do the worst damage, and then try to avoid it.”