Imagine this: An imminent disaster threatens the planet, and you only have one hour to save it. How would you spend your time?

Einstein was asked that very question.

“I would spend the first 55 minutes identifying the problem,” Einstein said, “and the last five minutes solving it.” He went on to say that rediscovering the problem is more urgent than finding the solution. “To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle,” Einstein continued, “requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.”

Before a problem can be solved, a problem must be identified and verified. That’s the formula. It’s a surefire way to get to a solution faster, and it’s the basis of my latest book, Solve the Real Problem. Years after Einstein spoke those words about identifying the problem, researchers are replicating his advice in the laboratory.

While studying the importance of “problem construction,” researchers divided participants into two groups. Half were instructed to restate the problem in a variety of ways before starting to work. The other half of the participants were instructed to read the problem presented and immediately solve it.