The 4 Steps I Use to Solve Problems

Solving Life’s Problems One Step at a Time

Throughout our life, we solve problems frequently. As soon as we are done solving one, others pop up.

Sometimes the problems are simple, like “What should I have for lunch today?”

In other cases, the problems are more complex. For example, one of my recent problems was:

Should I use my savings to start a business, buy a rental property, go back to school, or do something else?

I grappled with this problem for a long time, and some days I wondered why I was not able to produce an answer and what was wrong with me.

I eventually resolved this problem, but it took months.

After reflecting, I realized that I could have reached a solution in significantly less time. Moving forward, I cannot afford to waste time as I did on that problem and the many others that came before it.

Knowing that I will be facing other problems in the future, I worked out a process to deal with my recent problem and any others to come.

Here are the steps in the process:

1) Identify the real problem that needs to be solved

2) Know your goal

3) Identify possible solutions and choose the one that most aligns with your goal

4) Write everything down

Let me dive deeper and show you how I used these steps to solve the problem that I mentioned above: What to do with my savings?

Identify the real problem that needs to be solved

Identifying the real problem is one of the most challenging things to do, but it is very important. It is important because our problems often masquerade as something else. Sometimes we confuse the symptoms of a problem with the problem itself.

For example, when I was a teacher, I recall a student saying to me: “Miss, I am afraid to go on a plane. I am afraid of flying.”

My response was: “No, you are not afraid of flying, you are afraid of dying.”

He looked at me in shock. Then he laughed and agreed.

Just as with my student, I initially thought that my problem was choosing what to do with my savings. However, after more reflection, I realized what my real problem was. My problem was that:

I was not at my desired income level and career fulfillment.

Choosing what to do with my savings was just possible ways to solve the disconnect between where I was, and where I wanted to be in my life.

But identifying the real problem in a complicated situation is not simple to do.

Two things that helped me were:

Asking for feedback. Sometimes, it can be hard to distinguish between the forest and the trees. I found it helpful to ask a friend or family member for feedback on what they think is at the heart of a problem that I’m facing.
Keeping a journal. Writing down my thoughts and feelings in a journal helped me to identify patterns and recurring issues.

Know your goal

I like to think of a goal as a well-functioning GPS. It guides your path. Without a clear goal, it is easy to get sidetracked or to become overwhelmed by the complexity of a problem.

One of the great things about clearly identifying your problem is that you have simultaneously identified the goal. As indicated earlier, my problem was that I was not at my desired state of income and career fulfillment.

Therefore, my goal was:

To attain a higher level of income than what I was currently getting and to do something that made me feel fulfilled. For me, career fulfillment meant that I was motivating and inspiring others.

Identify possible solutions and choose the path that aligns with your goal

Solutions are what will take us from our problems to our goals.

I already had a few solutions to my problem. These solutions were each of the options about how to utilize my savings to eventually increase my income and career satisfaction.

Each of these options was feasible. Each, if taken, would lead me down a different path. I was the one who had to know which pathway aligned with my goals.

For example, I was the only one who could decide whether going back to school again would take me closer to achieving my goals. If so, then I would use my savings and do that.

If I had unlimited money, I would pursue all the options. There was something about each of them that “spoke” to me. Unfortunately, I don’t have unlimited money and even if I did, I don’t have unlimited time.

So, I had to make a choice. Before I let you know what I chose, I must add another important tool that helped me to arrive at a solution.

Write everything down

One of the reasons why I took so long to solve this problem was because I was trying to work everything out mentally. After getting nowhere, I started to write down the problem, the goal, the possible solutions, and the pros and cons of each solution I came up with.

I used a notepad to write things down and it worked wonders for me. I even used a whiteboard to brainstorm solutions (highly recommend this approach).

Taking the thoughts out of my head and putting them on paper (physical or digital) helped to produce much-needed clarity.

The solution that I opted for

My eventual solution consisted of a few things.

First, I quit my job. That was inevitable because I cannot get to a higher level by staying in the same place. The best thing about quitting my job is that I was able to invest all that time into myself.

Also, I am writing online. Writing online is my way of continuing to motivate and inspire others as I had done in the classroom. This gives me fulfillment and I find great satisfaction in it. To this end, I have started writing on Medium and building a social media presence (Twitter, so far — check it out and follow me).

I have also decided to re-equip myself with other skill sets such as learning data science. Finding insights and problem-solving is something that I naturally gravitate towards. I see the possibility of this skill set aligning with my goals of higher income and career fulfillment. Therefore, I will be using some of my savings to learn data science.

Finally, I started on a path of paying closer attention to my health. While good health was not a part of my current problem, I know that it is necessary. After all, my health is my greatest asset!

So, I no longer have a problem with what to do with my savings. After all, it was never the real problem. What I now have is a goal that I am marching towards. I am now confidently carrying out the actions needed to get me to where I want to be. As a result, I am no longer a bundle of confusion.

Summary

We can take steps to solve our problems and avoid feeling overwhelmed or helpless. When we resolve our problems, it makes us feel accomplished and confident. Best of all, it makes us feel less stressed and less anxious.

Looking back, I could have refined the process even more by identifying the specific income that would be my goal. Wanting a ‘higher income’ is vague and is not measurable.

So, are you currently working through a problem? Make sure to:

1) Identify the real problem.

2) Determine your goal/s.

3) Identify possible solutions and chose the path that aligns with your goal

4) Work through the problem by writing rather than doing it in your head.

Is there any step that you would add, or do you solve your problems differently?

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