In a world where Windows Update restarts faster than you can type Get-Help, one skill is becoming the ultimate life cheat code—flexible thinking.

It’s not about knowing every cmdlet in the module list, and it’s not about hardcoding every value (we’ve all been there). Flexible thinking is the ability to shift strategies, refactor logic, and adapt when your beautiful script hits an unexpected error at line 42.

Think of it as mental agility mode, the cognitive equivalent of switching from running a 300-line script in the ISE to interactively debugging in the console — without dropping variables or losing your pipeline.

Why Flexible Thinking Matters (and the Science to Back It Up)

Psychologists call it cognitive flexibility—and it’s not just a nice-to-have skill for sysadmins who juggle multiple environments. It’s part of our executive function toolkit (alongside working memory and self-control) that helps us:

• Adapt to changing parameters ($env: variables, anyone?)

• Solve complex, messy problems without rage-quitting

• Keep cool when the script you wrote yesterday refuses to run today

The science is clear: A review in Frontiers in Psychology found that cognitive flexibility is trainable in early and middle childhood through structured, metacognitive interventions—leading to measurable gains in adaptability and problem-solving skills (Buttelmann & Karbach, 2017).

Even better: a Journal of Political Economy study showed that just 12 hours of “brain training” in working memory and flexibility at age seven increased the likelihood of academic success years later by 16 percentage points (Financial Times, 2025). That’s basically the mental equivalent of replacing a 2008-era script with a fully optimized, parameterized PowerShell 7 masterpiece.

Signs Your Thinking Could Use a Patch Update

• Total meltdown when a variable changes mid-process

• Re-running the same failing script without altering a single line

• Refusing to try another approach because “it worked last time”

• Giving up when a function throws a red error instead of a green check

Evidence-Based Ways to Boost Your Mental Cmdlets

1. Rule-Switching Drills

Like “Simon Says” but for coders:

• Force yourself to solve the same problem two different ways—e.g., using Where-Object vs. a ForEach-Object loop.

• Randomly swap which module you use to achieve the same goal.

Why it works: It’s like testing your script against multiple data sources—your brain learns to adapt logic on the fly.

2. Working Memory Power-Ups

Play with challenges that require holding multiple steps in mind while adapting mid-run—think writing a script where the $input format can change at runtime.

Why it works: Working memory is the $global: scope for flexible thinking—without it, you lose context every time the function changes.

3. Mindfulness in Motion

This isn’t Start-Sleep -Seconds 10. Mindfulness for coders means:

• Taking a breath before you rage-delete a module.

• Observing your thought process when a solution fails instead of smashing Ctrl+C.

Why it works: Keeps frustration from hijacking your logical flow, so you can refactor instead of ragequit.

4. Real-Life Debugging

When a plan fails, step through it like you would with Set-PSBreakpoint and Step-Into:

“Okay, line 12 is where it failed—what if I change the input object type?”
“What happens if I swap this for a pipeline-friendly function?”

Why it works: You teach your brain that failure is just an exception to handle, not the end of execution.

The Admin-as-DevOps Mindset

Think of your brain as a living operating system:

• You can’t prevent every crash, but you can script better error handling.

• Frequent “updates” (new challenges, varied projects) keep your thinking flexible and reduce the chance of stale logic.

The Bottom Line

Flexible thinking is the Try/Catch of life—it keeps the script running when the unexpected happens. The research says it’s trainable, the tools are accessible, and the benefits compile into long-term success.

Whether you’re automating user onboarding, parsing JSON from some sketchy API, or turning a failed deployment into a quick rollback, you’re not just fixing problems—you’re training your brain to pivot like a pro.

In the end, flexible thinking isn’t about breaking rules—it’s about knowing when to rewrite them for a cleaner, smarter script. And that’s as close to a real-life superpower as a PowerShell coder can get.

Further Reading

1. Buttelmann, F., & Karbach, J. (2017). Development and plasticity of cognitive flexibility in early and middle childhood. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1040. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01040

2. Financial Times (2025). “Brain training boosts chances of academic success, German study finds.” Based on research in Journal of Political Economy. https://www.ft.com/content/7d5ca3ea-9d08-4de5-a8da-6b66db802801