“Only work with the objects that are already on a table or desk near you today.”

By Thursday evening of a busy work week, my desk bears plenty of objects.

Scanning the jumble of papers and devices and office supplies and random objects, one word sprang quickly to mind: clutter! Surely I could spell “clutter” with the items in view.

A few of the letters were easy to form with objects you might find on any creative desk: a kneaded eraser, some pencils, a few paper clips. From there, I scavenged for odds and ends that need to find their way to another place in our home: a Rainbow Loom creation my daughter made from tiny rubber bands and a pair of earrings, for instance.

I was nearly finished. But the letter “R” proved challenging. I tried bending an iPhone cord into submission, but it coiled all the wrong ways.

Just as I set the cord aside, my nine-year-old walked in and asked about today’s prompt. When I told her what I was up to, she said, “Well that’s easy … paper and pens. You can make anything with those.”

She was right. With one simple observation—an obvious solution that was right in front of me—Emma solved my “R” problem.