Day 12 - Jigsaw Lessons

Image by Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery via Flickr

Every year during the two weeks that school was out for the Christmas and New Year holiday, my family followed a tradition – we put together jigsaw puzzles.  It didn’t matter that we had put the same puzzles together the year before.  It didn’t matter if there was a missing piece or two.  We put together jigsaw puzzles on the dining room table from the day school let out at the beginning of the holiday until the day before we went back to school two weeks later.

I don’t think my parents used puzzles to teach us anything. They were just trying to keep us busy.  But the years have passed, and I now recognize that putting together jigsaw puzzles as a family taught us kids some valuable lessons.

We learned teamwork, we learned to look beyond first impressions, and we learned to think laterally.

Image by juan tan kwon via Flickr

First, we learned teamwork. Separation of duties worked better than everyone looking for the same piece. One looked for edge pieces, one looked for pieces by color, and one looked for pieces by shape. And because of the time required to put 1000 pieces together, trading off the work when the work got tough kept us all looking at the problem from a fresh viewpoint.

Second, we learned the importance of first impressions. Or more precisely, we learned not to rely only on first impressions. For example, just when we were absolutely convinced that there was a missing piece because none of the pieces looked right for a particular hole, someone would find the piece.  It fit in spite of the fact that we didn’t think it “looked” right.

Another example of how first impressions are wrong with jigsaw puzzles is that sometimes it was necessary to turn two pieces over to see if they really fit.  The pattern of the picture blurred the gaps, but looking at the same joint from the bottom provided the information we needed.

Image by Ampersand Duck via Flickr

Third, putting together jigsaw puzzles is a great example of the need to use lateral thinking occasionally.  Who would try putting a jigsaw puzzle together by starting at the top right corner and then connecting only the piece to its right?  That would be sequential thinking.  Lateral thinking starts anywhere, not just at a traditional “starting point.”

Whether my parents intended it or not, the activity of working together as a family to put together jigsaw puzzles taught me well.  Teamwork, recognizing that first impressions are not always accurate, and recognizing the value of lateral thinking have helped me succeed both at work and in my personal life.  Every complex problem can be broken down into small enough pieces to be handled like a jigsaw puzzle.  Application of teamwork, recognizing that first impressions are not always accurate, thinking laterally, along with never giving up until the puzzle is complete – these are keys to success.