To Solve a Problem, You First Need to Understand It
A Problem Must Be Understood Before Solved
What is your first reaction when facing a novel problem? How do you manage the unexpected, however catastrophic it may feel at the moment it arises? *Problem-solving *is a practice we can hone with mindful craft and open-mindedness. Problems often feel gigantic when they first appear. Sometimes, such magnification is the by-product of a cognitive distortion. We may magnify issues to different degrees also depending on our personality traits. An individual scoring low in conscientiousness may try to avoid solving problems when they arise. If you score high in neuroticism, the mere arising of the problem may cause you to experience intense emotional reactions. Besides personality characteristics, the way we deal with a problem may also be a by-product of the environment we were exposed to while growing up. How did your parents react to unexpected black swans? How did their mood vary when there was a problem, whatever its dimensions? What does your current environment (i.e., the individuals you are surrounded with) look and feel like?
The behaviors we partake in today are the results of habits, competing commitments, unconscious self-imposed limitations, personality traits, societal variables. We can control the way we approach problems when they arise. There is a science and art to that. We cannot control external factors shifting, we control how we face them.
I would argue that a common pattern we may follow when presented with problems consists of going into "solving mode." The novel issue scares us to such a degree that we instantly try to go into defense mode and cut it off as soon as possible. But what if problems must be understood thoroughly in order to be tackled appropriately? Problems are often composed of multiple layers. A problem needs to be broken down into its subcomponents to be fully understood, similarly to our past life events. Deeply understanding a problem is the first step toward solving it. Mental clarity fosters effective decision-making.
A powerful tool I've recently learned during a university *Problem Solving and Communication *course is the Problem Identification Worksheet. That's a simple worksheet that helps us identify and understand the problem, before jumping to find potential solutions. I have made a Notion template for the Problem Identification worksheet. You can check it out and duplicate it here. The worksheet is composed of seven crucial components, each one analyzing one aspect of the problem with some thought-provoking questions. Filling out the worksheet may feel daunting, especially if the problem you are facing is a novel and big one. Overcoming the initial resistance can make a difference in unpacking the problem at hand.
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION WORKSHEET →
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