How To Become an Effective Problem Solver

Every day of our lives, we are faced with a certain number of problems which we can either choose to solve or choose to ignore and let them fester until they become even bigger problems. A lot of people struggle with how to problem solve because they may be too dependent on others to figure things out for them or they adapt to just shutting down and freaking out when they can't seem to find a solution. In either case, you can work around those issues to help yourself become a more effective problem solver.

Start with the right attitude

If you are of the mindset even before you start that your problems have no solutions or possible solutions are just too hard or impossible to do, you are already putting yourself in a position of failure. Our problems can be easy, but more often than not, they are very difficult. They require you to expend your personal efforts and energies and skills to solve them. Giving up at the outset will accomplish nothing and sooner or later, your one problem may multiply and fester into many more if you ignore it.

Start with a fresh attitude, that you can do this, and you can figure it out. If one thing doesn't work, try another, and another, until you get something that sticks. If you can't figure out and solve your problems today, tomorrow is a new day to keep pushing until you get it. Keep telling yourself that giving up completely is not an option, but figuring out other possible solutions is.

Identify your actual problem and possible solutions

My whole life is a mess, is not the problem. You're in serious debt. You get drunk every other day. Your minimum wage job is going no where. Your math scores are extremely low. Those are real specific problems that you CAN work towards solving. Saying everything is wrong with your life and worse, believing that, and touting it about as a mantra, creates more drama and more problems in your world sphere, than do actually exist. Break it down and identify what it is that is really troubling you, that needs work, and then come up with possible solutions for each. Don't be afraid to reach out to others to help you identify what you can do and what you can change and how you can help yourself. Sometimes we are not the best at that task, but another pair of eyes and ears, can help us to see what needs work.

Consider the problem and it's solutions like peeling away each layer of an onion. Eventually you will get to the core and the root of the problem. No matter how small or stupid you think a solution to these problems may be, write them down and work through them. Use the process of elimination to see what will and won't work for you. Each possible solution can help you to chip away at even the largest problem, but you must be willing and ready to give them a chance.

Develop your skill set

Becoming a good problem solver requires you to develop a personal skill set. The phrase, "think outside of the box," is not just a bathroom wall quote, but something you must learn to live by. People all around you will tell you that you can't do it, that you can't accomplish your goals, that you can't get around your problems for whatever selfish reasons, but you must not listen to them and reach for solutions that all those naysayers may be too narrow minded to see. This means that you will need to keep an open mind out for new ideas and new possible solutions and be able to take a few risks along the way. If they don't work, be ready and able to adapt and change when things don't work out the way you thought they would and persistent with wanting to accomplish your goals in problem solving. At the end of the day, leave no stone unturned on your path to a solution.

Create a healthy environment for problem solving

As mentioned before, certain people around you, may be the ones in your path to solving your problem. They can fill you with unnecessary doubt and lead you to believe that you will fail no matter what. Clear away the clutter of their voices and actions and literally find an environment that you can work unencumbered. Even on your own, if you find yourself flustered and stressed out, shut your eyes and take a quick 20 minute nap or if you can't do it all in a day, get a good nights rest before trying again the next day. When we are tired, hungry, and dealing with other people's issues all the time, it makes it that much more difficult to tackle our own main problems.