Problem solving
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Pretend you must explain the issue to another person when you are stuck.
Often, articulating the problem, its components, and your prior steps is enough to uncover the answer.
- One person questions if they are dumb for not figuring it out while explaining.
4 people, independently
- Describe the issue to an object or person as if they know nothing; speaking it out often helps you spot the fix.3
- Explain your problem out loud to an inanimate object before seeking help from others.1
Start slow and focus on being effective; learn speed only after you have effectiveness down.
Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.
one person who lived it
Write out the specific question you would ask an expert to help pinpoint what is wrong.
Thinking through your question helps you identify the issue.
one person who lived it
Take care of problems now rather than ignoring them.
Ignoring them is more painful, and problems only get worse (e.g., rust never sleeps, dental issues worsen).
one person who lived it
Perform a creative search to see if a problem has been solved before.
It prevents wasting time reinventing the wheel.
one person who lived it
Envision the guidance you would offer a dear friend or offspring facing your circumstances, then apply that same counsel to yourself.
This approach introduces a layer of affection and concern for health without requiring approval.
3 people, independently
Talk through all different options of a plan or job with someone else.
Talking out the options usually helps settle on how to proceed.
one person who lived it
Control your responses to events, including your thoughts, rather than trying to control the events themselves.
We generally do not control what happens.
one person who lived it
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Give yourself ten minutes to try to fix a problem yourself before asking someone else for help.
Solving it yourself helps retain information better than being shown how, and improves problem-solving ability over time.
one person who lived it
Recognize that personal growth is a consistent, long-term effort rather than a single fixable problem.
It takes time to develop new habits.
one person who lived it
Break large goals into smaller, achievable steps using a Problem-Reason-Solution framework.
This method allows you to slowly tackle smaller goals rather than one large goal.
one person who lived it
Ask friends for their honest opinions when they visit your home.
To gain additional insights.
one person who lived it
Treat code that works but whose mechanism is unknown as a bug to be investigated, rather than accepting it as a solution.
It might have desirable results now, but unknown mechanisms can create hidden bugs later.
one person who lived it
Draft an email to support to force yourself to think through all necessary details and troubleshooting steps; if the issue resolves, delete the draft.
It ensures you have tried the required steps before contacting support.
one person who lived it
Push a worry to its most extreme, absurd conclusion by asking 'what if' repeatedly until the premise seems silly.
The chain of events required becomes so absurd that you can no longer take the initial fear seriously.
one person who lived it
Look for patterns of reuse to avoid reinventing the wheel.
Failing to identify patterns of reuse leads to incredible amounts of unnecessary wasted work.
one person who lived it
Define the specific problem rather than just describing the difficult reality to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Describing the whole situation can be too much; defining it as a solvable problem is the first step to solving it.
one person who lived it
Cooperate with others and set aside ego.
Greater results are achieved through collaboration.
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Investigate why something went wrong before discarding it.
Accidents can lead to discoveries, such as penicillin.
one person who lived it
Apply rubber duck debugging patterns to solve difficult problems when other methods fail.
There are established patterns within professional disciplines to deal with hard problems.
one person who lived it