1. PROBLEM SOLVING 101
Frustrated, angry, sad, confused? Do you have any idea why? A lot of times feelings like these
are the product of an undefined problem. Unfortunately many people know there’s a problem
but they struggle with how to define it and how to come up with the solution(s) that will solve
it. One of the reasons is likely to be that they haven’t identified their goals regarding the
situation in question. Without a clear idea of what their goals are they may not be looking at
the bigger picture and only coming up with solutions to parts of the problem. Also the idea of
writing the problem(s) down on paper doesn’t cross their minds so it remains in their heads
along with all the other things that they have on their mind.
Knowing the environment that you are dealing with is imperative. You may be having several
problems at the same time but in different areas of your life so you need to put them in their
proper environments, work, school, home, family etc. It is also important to take note of who is
a part of the problem if there are people involved. If you are having problems with your
children you have to know what your goals are for dealing with their needs and recognize that
their priorities are going to be vastly different than an adult.The most important thing to do to
get the process started is to step back and look at all the variables and then write them down.
Getting the information out of your head and onto paper will make it easier to know what it is
that you’re trying to achieve.
When you are problem solving you must anticipate changes. You may have identified the
problem, brainstormed ideas and come up with a solution that will work to get you to your
goal, but if you have left no room for the unexpected you might find yourself with a bigger
problem than the one you were in the middle of solving. For instance, you decide to go on a
cross country road trip and have every step of the journey mapped out. You know where you
are going to staying along the way, how long it will take, have hired a house sitter and have
confidence that you have taken care of all the obvious details so everything will go as planned
without a hitch. You made the decision to travel with your ATM debit and credit cards and leave
your check book at home. If you had looked at your plan again before implementing it you may
have asked yourself what if the magnetic strip on my cards get damaged, how will I get money
in the middle of nowhere? These questions may have inspired you to take some cash and your

2. check book with you just incase. Learning to anticipate the unknown is not that difficult. First
you make a simple plan that will work then ask yourself what if. As answers to this question
come to you, write them down and see if they are realistic and if there is any possibility that
they might happen. Based on your answers you can then add them to your solution and plan
accordingly.
Here are six steps that are helpful when trying to solve a problem.
Problem definition
Decide what your goal is and write it down. Once you know what you are trying to achieve it
will be easier to determine what is getting in your way. Make sure you identify the problem
correctly. Look at the entire situation and not the immediate frustration. If you only focus on
what is frustrating you in the moment you may only be dealing with a small part of a larger
problem. As you begin to formulate possible solutions avoid picking the first one that you come
up with. Give yourself a variety of solutions to work with. Write your process down. Keeping
everything in your head can cause you to miss a key piece of information.
Problem Analysis
Be aware of the environment that the situation is happening in. Are you at home, at work, in a
relationship, dealing with friends? Being aware of these things will guide you as you start to find
solutions to your problem(s) because each environment is handled differently. Understanding
the current situation makes it easier to understand what part of it that isn’t working. For
example, let’s say you are having a problem with your school work. The school work may not be
the situation you need to look at, it may be that the methods your teacher is using to teach
aren’t working for you. Another example could be that you are unhappy in your marriage. The
situation may not be the marriage but the fact that you and your spouse have conflicting views
on practically everything. Ask yourself what is involved that’s caused there to be a problem,
write it down. Define the actual things that are happening that are getting in your way. Then
take a look at your notes and ask yourself what needs to be changed to make the problem go
away.
Generating Possible Solutions
Once you have identified the problem and what changes need to be made to make it go away,
write down every possible solution that comes to your mind whether they are realistic or not,
just get them down on paper. Don’t second guess them or evaluate them because you’ll want
to do that with each one after you have finished.
Analyzing the Solution

3. Now for the fun part, take each possible solution and write out both the good and the bad
things about them. When you have finished you will be able to start removing those solutions
that don’t produce the desired results based on the positives and negatives.
Selecting the Best Solution
Go through all of the solutions and choose which one(s) will best help you achieve your
ultimate goal. Decisions can be based on factual evidence, a sliding scale or intuition. Don’t be
afraid to talk to others also, they may have insights that will help you come up with ideas you
may not have thought about. If you find that you cannot come up with a solution you may have
to go back and examine your goals, reexamine the problem definition or reach out to others,
they may have experience with a situation similar to yours.
Next Step
Write down how you are going to make the solution(s) you have come up with work,what steps
will you take to achieve success. Go over your plan in your head before you try to do it for real.
There may be issues that pop up that you hadn’t planned on so you want to catch them before
you actually start the process.