Every now and then, we would get homework problems that were significantly harder than average. Even if you had a decent grasp of the subject, just coming up with an approach was difficult.

I observed that students fell into three categories when facing these problems (well, four, if you count the 1% of geniuses for whom no problem was too hard).

• Type 1: The majority. After a few tries, they gave up and went to the professor or a TA for help.

• Type 2: The Researchers. They went to the library to look for similar problems or insights to make the problem approachable. They usually succeeded.

• Type 3: The Thinkers.

I fell into the third category, which, in my experience, was almost as rare as the genius 1%. My method was simply to think. To think hard and long. Often for several days or weeks, all my non-I/O brain time was relentlessly chewing on possible ways to solve the problem, even while I was asleep.

This method never failed me. I always felt that deep prolonged thinking was my superpower. I might not be as fast or naturally gifted as the top 1%, but given enough time, I was confident I could solve anything. I felt a deep satisfaction in that process.