Problem Solving

“If I had an hour to solve a problem, I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” Albert Einstein

Einstein also said.

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking. we used when we created them.”

Life will always send problems our way. Problems and solutions are the yin and yang of life. They teach us valuable lessons and allow us to become better human beings. How can we extract as much value out of these lessons? Let's look at the quotes above.

Let's take the first quote by Einstein.  “If I had an hour to solve a problem, I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” Most people do not think like this. When a problem arises they panic and go to the first and most convenient solution available. Don't do this. Stop. Think. Define the problem. Spend most of your time identifying and defining the problem. Research the problem. Write it out. Do not make any decisions until you've listed out exactly what the problem is. Then and only then work on solutions. Once you've done that then it's time to consider and rank each solution. Don't just choose a solution. Consider each option as an equally adequate answer. Then and only then should you proceed with selecting.

Let's look at quote number two “ We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” This is something no one considers anymore. Most in the heat of the moment make their decisions. See social media for references. With all seriousness though I can't stress this point enough. Stop. Breathe. Write out your feelings. Do not proceed with a decision or response until you've calmed down and can think clearly.

I could write more about this but making better decisions and solving problems comes down to simple concepts. 1. define your problem. 2. define solutions. 3. Run scenarios for each solution. 4. Pick the solution that gets you the best result. 5. Do not make decisions when your emotions are elevated.

Two final notes I'll leave you with. 1. Never pick a solution that will end in a Pyrrhic victory. A pyrrhic victory is one in which you win the battle but lose the war. For example: you want the coolest brand-new car to impress others. So, you go out and spend almost all of your money doing so. Now you can't do anything because the monthly payment is so high that you only have enough money for the payment and gas. You have the cool car but at what cost? 2. When you don't know what to do you should do nothing. I know that sounds wrong but deciding or choice when you're not confident in it can result in a loss of resources, time, money, etc. If you don't know then keep researching, asking questions or just wait to see how things play out.