Peanuts In My Pocket

A long time ago, someone invented Sudoku, and I thought, “Sounds like math—no thanks.” I avoided these puzzles entirely because math and I have never been friends. Let me explain. I was a late bloomer. I didn’t perform well in school as a child and didn’t acquire the skills I needed to be proficient in writing, spelling, and, especially, math. In fact, I needed help to graduate from high school, but on the plus side, I married my tutor, so things worked out.

Eventually, I went to college for an undergraduate degree in computer science, followed by an MBA. I performed well and finished near the top of my class in both programs. I’m sure most people who knew me growing up would be surprised by this, but it represented a shift in my mindset—from just getting by to mastering a variety of skills, including many related to math. Although I still can’t do math in my head, I know the procedures for solving almost any problem.

The difference between learning math and writing as a child versus as an adult was that I focused on understanding the processes rather than just getting test questions right. For instance, while learning algebra, I had no idea why solving for X was important, but as an adult, I’ve found it to be an essential skill in planning, forecasting, and operations management. Once I understood its significance, I concentrated on developing the skills needed to use algebra to solve problems. Along the way, I learned that many people forget these skills, which surprised me.

I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised. Sudoku is a good example. When I first encountered it, I reacted with fear. I didn’t want to subject myself to more math because I had learned to fear it as a child—it was something I avoided because it embarrassed me. The same went for writing; I steered clear of writing and improving my skills because the feedback I received was consistently negative. As a result, I avoided word puzzles, like crosswords, along with writing in general.

The truth is, my writing skills improved dramatically once I began writing for external audiences through work and a blog, and the same happened with math. The more I practiced, the better I became. Still, my fear of Sudoku and crossword puzzles remained an irrational part of my personality until recently.

My wife—the same person who helped me graduate from high school all those years ago—patiently explained that Sudoku doesn’t involve math; it’s purely logic and reasoning. I completed my first puzzle with her help just a few weeks ago. Now, I’m tackling more complex puzzles, and while the harder ones are still challenging, they’re within my grasp. True to form, solving a Sudoku puzzle involves a series of techniques that build on each other as you practice. The more you learn, the easier it becomes to solve the puzzles. I’m just starting out, but I can already tell I’m going to enjoy this.

When I first encountered techniques like Pointing Pairs and Box-Line Reduction, I was a bit intimidated. But once I got the hang of them, they quickly became game-changers. Pointing Pairs come into play when a number can only fit in one row or column within a 3×3 box, which means you can safely eliminate that number from other cells in the same row or column outside the box. Similarly, Box-Line Reduction works when a number is confined to a single row or column inside a 3×3 box, allowing you to clear it from other cells in that row or column. It’s a little like tidying up the board by narrowing down the possibilities, and as you practice, it really starts to make sense

It’s fear that often prevents me from trying or learning new things. The fear of looking foolish or failing stems from my early educational experiences. I know this fear is irrational because my professional life has been built on overcoming limitations, even those resulting from a poor-quality early education. Yet, fear still holds me back from trying new things, and I really need to overcome that. Fortunately, the desire to learn and the support of a very smart woman help me push through.