One Key takeaway from Squid Game’s Honeycomb challenge

“There is always a better way to solve a problem. Find it.” ~Thomas A. Edison

The shapes represent the complexity of your raw data.

Before the challenge was revealed, the players were asked to choose one of the 4 shapes given. The 4 shapes were a circle, a triangle, a star and an umbrella. The choices made by the players were random.

When the challenge was revealed, those who have chosen a star or an umbrella were disappointed.

If you have not watched squid game, the second challenge was to remove the shape outlined in the honeycomb. They were supplied with a needle to complete the challenge.

The star and the umbrella shape had more lines and would take a longer time to remove. It seemed impossible to complete the challenge within the stipulated time.

The 4 different shapes represent the complexity of your raw data. Some are simple while others are complex.

Copy and paste seems to be the only way to do it

When the countdown started, all the players started to scrap the shape outline using the needle given. They were seen licking the needle, hoping that the moist needle would help to soften the honeycomb, making it easier to remove their shapes from the honeycomb.

Two players used a lighter to heat up the needle to hasten the cutting. They managed to complete the task faster than others. Those who had the circle or the triangle managed to complete the task. Mostly. Some still fumbled and were eliminated.

Copy and paste seems to be the only way to re-organize the data. That is not true. If you read on, you will know why I say this.

Discover new ways by accident or learn from others’ experiences

Seong Gi-Hun who had chosen an umbrella shape was scrapping the outline faster than others, hoping that he could complete the challenge, although it looked pretty impossible. That was when he discovered the solution to complete the challenge. Others saw what he did and followed his method. They were able to complete the challenge as well

Being an Excel Data Analytics guy, I can’t help but relate the shapes to the complexity of the data downloaded from the system. Not all downloads are the same. Some are more complex than others. Most Excel users know only one way to organize the data, copy and paste. Just like in the honeycomb challenge, the players only knew one way to remove the shape, using a needle.

A group of Excel users learned some simple shortcuts and were able to copy and paste the data faster. This group is like those who licked the needle to hasten the process. It helped but was not fast enough for those who had the star or the umbrella shape. Shortcuts may help to quicken the speed of copy and paste. But it is not going to help you when you have a lot more data.

Seong Gi-Hun licked the back of the honey after realizing that the outline was thinner than the other part of the honeycomb. Other players who followed him were able to complete the challenge too. They were fortunate to be able to learn Gi-Hun’s method through observation. The key factor here is Gi-Hun was there with them. How often do you have the opportunity to watch someone organize his data in front of you?

I assume it’s rare. That’s why I offer to show you how to organize your data and speed up your analysis in my Hidden Secrets course. I have multiple ways to organize raw data, speed up your analysis, and save your time in Excel reporting and analysis.

If you are an Excel user, would you continue to do copy and paste to re-organize your data? If your answer is no, check out my courses and learn how to do your analysis faster in Excel.