Solve the Problem With What's in Your Room—or Your Head

28 Apr 2026 #misc

Constraints make you more creative.

What better constraint than “solving the problem with what’s in your room”? That’s a line from Edwin H. Land, founder of Polaroid. I knew about it from this bookofjoe’s post.

Before he had his own lab, Edwin snuck into his university lab after hours. Maybe that’s why he adopted that line.

What about solving a problem with what’s in your head, library, and notes? It forces recall and sparks connections. It make us read and learn broadly. It help us build range.

That’s a good excuse to revive my Zettelkasten—and a good challenge to write a book.