Expand Your Philosophy: Pick the Right Problem to Solve
Short principles for long-term clarity—and occasional epiphanies.
How can questioning, exploring, and experimenting unlock meaningful solutions?
“Knowing what a solution solves for crystalises why it exists and opens your possible options.”
Solutions are useful only if they solve the problem. Although this may seem intuitive, remember that not all solutions meet the brief of the problem or are made equal. Rather than rushing to a solution, one must first determine if it is the correct problem they are solving. This can be done quite simply (not always easily) by answering the question "If this thing worked perfectly and I got the result I was after, what would it solve?".
What this question does, is it requires you to ladder-up your understanding of all the possible problems your desired solution solves. Then, by assessing and choosing one problem, you can ask the follow-up question of "What other things could solve this problem?" to open up your options. This is done to reduce tunnel vision AND to allow you to see potentially better suited solutions to your problems. Although it does not always create better solutions, it means that you have at least assessed more than one solution – in other words it makes it a choice. Not withstanding that you might come up with things you may have never considered as viable. When you subsequently drill down into your chosen solution you can then treat it more as a set of experiments to determine how well it solves your target problem. A bad result on tests then means that you have not exhausted all options and have lower allegiances towards any single solution.
So, in your leisure, pursuits, or profession find ways to ask if you are solving the right problem. With the landscape of “wanting to be right” comes the baron lands of solving problems ineffectively and adhering to Parkinson’s Law of Triviality, rather than the more meaningful outcomes. Be the shepherd, not the sheep.
Reflection Questions:
Imagine that I am a CEO of a sinking business who has to abandon this solution which is clearly not working, what problem does it solve and what are other solutions that are possible?
Imagine that you were stranded on an island without the ability to talk to anyone, what things would you try to reach this same goal?
Songs That Embodies This For Me:
Seeing Negative (Disappointment) – Honey Revenge
Bad Things – I Prevail
What Comes Next? - Hamilton
Resources You Could Explore:
Continuous Discovery Habits - Teresa Tores
Decisive – Dan Heath and Chip Heath
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Other Creations: