The Power of Black Box

The Black Box model is a very well known model in the field of science computing and engineering and in this blog, we are going to talk about what it is and how it can be really powerful in everything you do in life as well.

So, the Black Box model is nothing but this:

As simple as it is, this is all you have to understand about it. You supply an input and expect an output and what you have in between is the “Blackbox” and this is where all the magic happens.

In the software world, this would be nothing but the code/logic you write to get the expected output given the inputs.

Now, life is the same as well.

You have certain resources available with you, constraints you know about, challenges you might be facing. All these become part of the inputs you supply.

Now, you are expecting some outcome be it reaching a milestone or a goal or getting something done in a specific amount of time in a specific way. Now, thats your expected output.

All you have to do is work on defining the black box which is nothing but using the inputs you have, understanding and processing it in the way you would want to basically get the output you expect.

Let’s define a sample usecase.

If you want to loose 10 kgs in 6 months, now that’s the expected output.

Your current weight, the food you eat and all the activities you currently do is your input

All the blackbox will contain is the plan and work you do to basically reach your outcome of reducing 10 kgs. Be it running daily, going to gym and working out, or anything for that matter.

Now, what’s the point I am trying to make?

Life is full of these small black boxes. You have a lot of inputs and you have a lot of expected outputs with different things be it your health, relationships, business, or anything for that matter. And all you have to do is focus within the black box.

And the most important thing is, you have to do this One Box at a Time

This helps you focus on one problem at a time moving away all the distractions you may have. And this really helps a lot in being productive and that’s what I do with my life atleast.

If you manage to look at another black box while solving one black box, then its going to be chaos. So, try simplifying life like this and separate it as multiple black boxes then its going to be very very easy for you to solve even huge problems.

All you have to do is, decompose them into smaller composable parts.

And this is the same thing which I do when I design products as well. And this is why I am able to architect products live in the My Factory series of Timecampus without even knowing the problem statement before hand.

Just look at the inputs, the expected outputs and push yourself to do the work. Then everything will be great.

That’s all for Today. Though its a simple concept, its a very important concept in any field at any time.

If you have any specific technique that you follow, do let us know in the comments. And if you liked this article, do share it across with your friends. Will see you all in the next blog post soon.