Embracing Stuckness: Ben Orlin on Productive Problem Solving in "Math for English Majors"

Beyond the To-Do List - Productivity for Work and Life

Erik Fisher

Business, Entrepreneurship, Self-improvement, Careers, Education

4.5 • 875 Ratings

🗓️ 6 February 2025

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, I’m excited to welcome Ben Orlin to the show to discuss his new book, Math for English Majors: A Human Take on the Universal Language. Ben is a math educator, writer, and the creator of Math with Bad Drawings, a blog and book series that makes math more accessible, humorous, and relatable. His latest book approaches mathematics as a language—one that everyone can learn, even those who’ve struggled with it in the past. In this conversation, we cover: Math as a Language: Ben explains how understanding math as a form of communication can help break down barriers to learning and make it more intuitive. Where Students Get Stuck: Ben shares key moments where people tend to disconnect from math, such as fractions and algebra, and offers insights on how to reframe those challenges. The Concept of Stuckness: Drawing from his teaching experience, Ben discusses how learning to sit with and work through being “stuck” is crucial not just in math but in any problem-solving endeavor. Breaking the Math Stigma: Many people carry negative experiences with math from school. Ben talks about how reframing math through storytelling, humor, and play can make it more engaging and approachable. Curiosity as a Learning Tool: Instead of focusing on getting the “right” answer, Ben emphasizes how curiosity and exploration can make math more enjoyable and meaningful. Ben’s work challenges the idea that math is only for “math people” and instead presents it as a tool for creativity, problem-solving, and deeper understanding. Whether you’ve loved math or avoided it at all costs, this episode will give you a fresh perspective on how to engage with numbers in a more human way. Learn more about Ben and his work at MathWithBadDrawings.com and follow him on social media @MathWithBadDrawings. Math for English Majors is available now wherever books are sold. If you’ve ever felt intimidated by math, this conversation is for you! Connect with Erik: LinkedIn Facebook Bluesky This Podcast is Powered By: Descript Descript 101 Castmagic Ecamm Podpage Rodecaster Pro Top Productivity Books List Make sure to support the show by checking out the sponsors! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:32.6	You know, Hello and welcome back to beyond the to-do list, a podcast about productivity.
0:51.5	I'm your host, Eric Fisher.
0:53.0	And in this episode, I'm excited to welcome
0:55.4	Ben Orlin, author of Math for English majors, a human take on the universal language. He's an
1:02.4	educator, a writer, and has a book series that makes math more accessible, humorous, and relatable.
1:09.0	And in this conversation, we are talking about how to understand math as a language, as a form of communication, and getting over some of the stigma and negative experiences that, like me, you may have had with math in school. But Ben reframes it through storytelling and humor and makes math more engaging and approachable. And then how that
1:29.8	relates to productivity is this concept of stuckness. We've all been stuck at a point in a math
1:36.1	problem. Sometimes, as you'll hear in this conversation, mathematicians will get stuck for over
1:41.3	seven years and then some. But it's all about what you do in that stuckness,
1:46.3	insights into how to flip and frame that problem-solving moment you're stuck in, as well as
1:52.3	making better decisions because of it. So even if you love math, I think you're still going to get
1:57.0	a lot out of this conversation with Ben Orland.
2:07.4	Well, this week, it is my privilege to welcome to the show. Ben, Orland, Ben, welcome to Beyond the To-Do List.
2:09.2	Thanks so much, Eric. Yeah, I'm really excited to chat with you.
2:11.0	I'm really excited to have you here. I never thought we'd be talking about math.
2:15.4	Almost everywhere I go. I got that, including in classes. I did not expect we'd have to do math today. Why are we talking about math. Almost everywhere I go. I got that, including in classes I did not expect we'd have to do math today.
	...

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