The best thinkers I know are constantly adjusting their resolution. They’ll start broad, narrow in when they hit something interesting, zoom back out to check if they’re still on track, dive deep into one specific thing, then abstract back up to see the pattern.
It’s like they have a zoom function in their mind. And they’re using it constantly. In. Out. In. Out. Different levels. Different perspectives. Different resolutions.
Most people get stuck at one level and stay there. Some people think only in abstractions. Big ideas. High-level concepts. Patterns and principles. They can talk about systems and frameworks and meta-level insights all day. But ask them about a specific example and they struggle. “Well, in general…” They can’t zoom in.
Other people think only in specifics. Details. Concrete examples. They can tell you exactly what happened, step by step, in excruciating detail. But ask them what it means or what the pattern is and they’re lost. “I don’t know, that’s just what happened.” They can’t zoom out.
Both are incomplete and limiting.
Real thinking requires moving constantly between levels. You start broad because you need context. You need to see the landscape. Where are we? What are we talking about? You can’t dive into details without knowing what those details are details of.
So you start zoomed out. Getting oriented. Seeing the shape of the thing. Then you narrow in when you hit something interesting. “Wait, what’s that? That’s weird. That doesn’t fit. That’s surprising.” You zoom in. You examine it closely. You look at the specifics.
What exactly is happening here? What are the details? What’s the mechanism? You go deep. Into the weeds. Into the particulars. Because that’s where the truth lives. In the specifics. Not in the abstractions.
Abstractions are maps. Specifics are territory. And the territory is what’s real. But you can’t stay in the weeds forever. You’ll get lost. So you zoom back out to check if you’re still on track. “Okay, I’ve been looking at this detail for a while. Does this still matter? Is this still relevant to the bigger question?”
You check your bearings. You make sure you haven’t gotten distracted. That you’re still solving the right problem. Then you dive deep into one specific thing. The thing that matters most. The thing that’s load-bearing. You go as deep as you can. You understand it completely. You see how it works. Why it works. What it connects to. You exhaust that specific thing. You understand it at a level of resolution that most people never reach.
Then you abstract back up to see the pattern. “Okay, I understand this specific case deeply. What does this tell me about the general case? What’s the principle? What’s the pattern?” You’re looking for the transferable insight. The thing that applies beyond this one instance.
That’s the pattern. That’s what you can use elsewhere.
The point is: you’re moving. You’re adjusting resolution. You’re not stuck. This is what good thinking looks like. Not staying at one level. Moving between levels. Because different levels reveal different things.
Broad view shows you context. Structure. Relationships. How things fit together. Narrow view shows you mechanism. Detail. Reality. How things actually work.
You need both. And you need to move between them.
Here’s what this looks like in practice:
You’re trying to understand why a business is successful.
- Start broad: What industry is this? What’s the competitive landscape? What’s the macro context?
- Narrow in: What specifically is this company doing differently? What’s the unique thing?
- Zoom out: Does this fit with what I know about successful businesses? Is this an exception or an example?
- Dive deep: How exactly does this specific mechanism work? What are the details of their operation?
- Abstract up: What’s the principle here? What can I learn that applies to other businesses?
You’re moving between levels. Each level gives you different information.
You’re trying to solve a personal problem.
- Start broad: What kind of problem is this? Have I seen this pattern before? What category does this fit into?
- Narrow in: What specifically is happening? What are the exact circumstances? What triggers this?
- Zoom out: Is this actually the problem I should be solving? Or is this a symptom of something else?
- Dive deep: What exactly happens in my mind/body when this occurs? What’s the precise sequence?
- Abstract up: What does this tell me about how I work? What’s the underlying pattern or need?
Same process. Different levels. Each level reveals something the others don’t.
Always adjusting, always moving.