Whatever is bothering you: the choice of a new gadget, a relationship with a partner, or the excessive demands of a new boss, you have four ways to get rid of this feeling:
- change yourself and your behavior;
- change the situation;
- get out of the situation;
- change your attitude towards the situation.
Undoubtedly, there is another option to leave everything as it is, but this is definitely not about solving the problem.
That's it, the list is over. No matter how hard you try, you can’t come up with anything more. And if you want to think about what to do, then I suggest you take the following steps.
Algorithm of actions
1. State the problem in the first person
The problems “The world has not yet created the gadget that I need,” “He doesn’t care about me,” and “The boss is a beast, demands the impossible” are insoluble. But the problems “I can’t find a gadget that meets my criteria”, “I feel unhappy because my partner doesn’t care about me” and “I can’t do what my boss asks of me” are quite workable.
2. Analyze your problem
Start from four ways solutions presented above:
You may find that you would like to combine several of these, such as changing your attitude towards a situation and then changing your behavior. Or maybe you will first consider several methods to choose from. This is fine.
4. Having chosen one, two or even three ways, brainstorm
Take a piece of paper and a pen. For each method, write as many possible solutions to the problem as possible. At this stage, throw away all filters (“indecent”, “impossible”, “ugly”, “shameful” and others) and write down everything that comes to mind.
For example:
| Change yourself and your behavior | ||
| I can't find a gadget that matches my criteria | I feel unhappy because my partner doesn't care about me | I can't do what my boss wants me to do |
|
|
|
For inspiration:
- Imagine a person whom you respect and who could definitely help you. What solutions to the problem would he suggest?
- Ask friends and acquaintances for help: brainstorming in a group is more fun.
Choose the one that is most suitable for you in this situation.
6. Answer yourself the following questions
- What do I need to do to make this decision a reality?
- What could be stopping me and how can I overcome it?
- Who can help me do this?
- What will I do in the next three days to start solving my problem?
7. Take action!
Without real action, all this thinking and analysis is a waste of time. You will definitely succeed! And remember:
A hopeless situation is a situation in which you don't like the obvious way out.
Each of us, in one way or another, constantly faces various tasks and problems. These can be personal and business problems, unresolved issues that turn into problems over time, personal responsibility for making a particular decision.
Not everyone is always able to find the best way out of the current situation. Most often in order to find an effective solution, lack experience, wisdom, time or knowledge. There are many different techniques for finding solutions, and the main challenge is which technique is right for you or a particular situation.
Not long ago there were claims that problems do not exist. There are only problems that need to be solved. Problems exist only in our heads. There are many opinions on this matter, and in principle, everyone is free to think in their own way. But since the word “solution” is more closely related to the word “task,” let’s try to consider our problems as tasks, so it will be easier to solve them. We all learned to solve problems at school: with one unknown, with two unknowns, there were even those when there seemed very little initial data for solving it.
This is how it is in life, when at first glance you find yourself in an insoluble situation, at first it seems that it is almost impossible to cope alone, but starting to unravel the tangle of questions, it becomes clear that a solution has been found and found correctly.
How can we make sure that in any situation we act according to the same algorithm, which has previously proven its effectiveness? The answer is simply simple - create your own personal decision-making system, and hone the skill of finding effective solutions until it becomes automatic.
“If we understand that any problem or task has a solution, then our thoughts will focus not on our attitude towards it, but on what to do so that there is one less problem or problem.”
“The hopelessness of a situation most often lies not in the absence of a way out of it, but in the inability to find one.”
“All our difficulties are largely due to the fact that what we think about them and not with the true state of affairs. So the problem is not what exactly happened but in that how we react about what happened."
“The paradoxes and patterns of our life and business are such that for the absence of problems, we have to pay... lack of success!”
Wise thoughts and aphorisms, sometimes like echoes from distant worlds and centuries, are often good helpers and advisers in a variety of situations. This is someone else's experience. But we usually want to step on our own mistakes, and not on someone else’s, so we most often evaluate the value of advice after...
Let's see how those who already know how to do this find solutions to problems and problems. Please note that we now face an important task: learning to find the most effective solution.
Techniques for finding an effective solution
1. Make sure you are solving the right problem. It is important to remember: “The main attention is to the main things.”
2. In second place I will put the ability to ask yourself the right questions. Remember, sometimes someone’s question can radically change your attitude towards a problem and look at it from a different angle. Questions are also needed in order to analyze the current situation, understand what we need to start from and what resources we have.
Coaches have the ability to ask questions. A coach is a person who professionally solves other people's problems. In their practice, coaches use a technique in which they artificially create a situation in which a person must find his own correct and effective solution. That is a decision that he implements with great desire and pleasure.
Brian Tracy claims that successful people spend 25% of their time solving a problem. Indeed, our inability to determine the real reason When the situation arises, hello to the fact that this problem can be repeated again and again in different variations.
3. An effective remedy in search of the most effective solution, a simple brainstorming session conducted among colleagues, employees, friends, and family members can become a simple task. In such cases they say: “One head is good, but two are better.” Moreover, in such an environment, ideal and creative ways to solve a problem often arise. With several options on hand, main task will choose the best one. In this case, it would be useful to know how to make the right choice.
4. The Six Thinking Hats method, invented by Edward de Bono, is considered effective for evaluating provocative and unusual ideas, innovative proposals and situations.
Given that collective opinion is often a battle of different opinions, the Six Thinking Hats method encourages participants to think in parallel. To do this, participants wear hats. different colors, and look at the problem from the perspective of the corresponding hat color. First, a proposal is voiced, and then each participant takes turns putting on their hats:
The white hat is the information hat. In a white hat, you can ask for additional information, numbers, facts that will help assess the situation.
The red hat is the hat of emotions. You can describe the emotions that this sentence evokes.
The yellow hat is the hat of optimism. Even if an idea seems bad, you need to find positive aspects in it.
Black hat- hat of pessimism. Even if the idea is great, you need to find flaws and threats in it.
The green hat is a hat of growth and opportunity. Everyone can suggest a way to improve an idea to make it work better.
The blue hat is the process hat. Wearing a hat blue color people are involved in the process of thinking about it. Purpose: to find out how effective this method of assessing proposals is.
Using the “Six Thinking Hats” method, corporations solve problems of staff turnover or electronic document exchange.
5. Find the maximum amount of information on this issue. In this case, there will also be a need to choose from the available arsenal and adapt someone’s effective solution to a specific situation. Try to read good business literature and accumulate knowledge. Read more, analyze what you read, remember information.
6. The most favorite and fastest way to find the right and effective solution is to flip a coin. This is for when there are so many good options that it becomes difficult to decide.
I came across a translation of a poem by Peter Hein about this:
If you are captured by doubts and torment,
Locked in them, like in a cage.
The wisest of all, don’t laugh, friend, -
Toss a coin up.
Only a penny will rush into the air,
The world will only become shorter.
You'll suddenly realize
What do you secretly want?
7. It would be good to hear your intuition. Sometimes, in extreme situations, the subconscious is able to offer the best way out. Trusting your intuition, you must remember the likelihood of mistakes.
8. I accidentally came across the “Horse” technique, which I think has the right to life in some cases. When you have no strength left and a solution has not yet been found, go to bed. “The morning is wiser than the evening,” our grandmothers said. Just before going to bed, mentally think about the task and say: “Let the horse think about it.”
In this way, you let go of the problem, and if the obsessive task bothers you, tell yourself that now this is not your task, that the Horse is now thinking about it. Having thus relieved the tension and believing that the Horse will have the answer, the author of the method advises thanking the Horse when the answer comes to your mind or puts it into the mouth of another person.
9. The glass of water technique using the Silva Method. With this method you can use hidden abilities consciousness. This is essentially self-hypnosis, and it stimulates the creativity of our brain by using both hemispheres.
Before you go to bed, fill a glass with clean water and drink half of it. Then close your eyes and look slightly upward. Say in your mind, “This is all I need to do to find a solution to the problem I’m thinking about.” After that, let go of the problem and stop thinking about it - you have handed it over to your consciousness.
When you wake up in the morning, drink the other half of the water and do the same steps as before going to bed. People who use this method believe that the solution comes either at night in a dream or in the form of some random hint. This method is very similar to the “Horse” technique; probably, in search of an effective solution, people invented many similar methods for cases when the idea did not come to mind at all.
10. And now, when the only solution has been found, it can be checked for compliance with the criteria “What an effective solution should be.”
- Our decision is justified.
- Our decision is real, we have all the resources to implement it.
- Our solution can be broken down into simple components.
- Our decision is timely. His performance is still relevant.
- Our solution is flexible. It can be adapted to changing conditions.
- Our decision must bring maximum benefit.
- Our decision provides for control over its implementation.
Friends, none of us is immune from making wrong decisions. You need to understand this and try to get rid of this fear. The only smart way to deal with problems and challenges is to create momentum as quickly as possible. Don’t let things take their course, but start taking action. In the process of movement, means and ways to solve the problem necessarily appear, usually hidden from us.
A lot has been written about the classification of problems, about the methodology for solving them, various algorithms for “solving problems” have been painted and painted, but nothing really changes. If there are problems, then there are methods to solve them
A lot has been written about the classification of problems, about the methodology for solving them, various algorithms for “solving problems” have been painted and painted, but nothing really changes. If there are problems, then there are methods for solving them, well, it cannot be that humanity has not encountered problems since its inception. There were many of them and they were somehow resolved. Now we have no problems with the fact that the saber-toothed tiger, who wants to eat us, prevents us from leaving the cave for food. Problems are being solved.
The first thing you need to know (and many people already know this, but I’ll just remind you) is that if a person himself does not want to solve his problem or problems, then they will not be solved. You can only help a person solve it. And this statement has been tried - tried, tested and re-tested, but the fact remains: if a person (or a group of people) does not want to solve a problem, then it will not be solved and no one will help solve it. There are, of course, even more Hard case, when a person or a group of people do not realize at all that they have real problems and, accordingly, they will sit in them, and they (the problems) will ruin their life. Therefore, in order to solve a problem or problems, it is necessary to first recognize and detect them.
And here is a method, whether you want to call it an exercise or something else, but it works:
- The first thing to do is take a piece of paper and a pen and write down a list of problems that you have or in your field of activity, regardless of whether you think it is one that can be solved or one that cannot be solved, just write it down .
- Second: from the entire list, choose the problem whose presence you are most easily aware of, that is, the problem that seems to you or is perceived by you as the smallest. People often make the mistake of trying to do something about their biggest problem.
- Third: you have chosen such a problem (you want to mark it somehow in the entire list or write down its wording below the entire list), and now write down (of course, you will need to think about it) what you can do to solve this problem . That is, it is realistic what you can do to solve this problem.
- And fourth: do it!!! That is, solve it, this little problem.
Let's go over it quickly:
- You make a list of problems (for example, you have 5):
- I have a problem with my teeth, I need to go to the dentist, but I’m afraid;
- Apartment without renovation for 15 years;
- no one would take out the trash can, the kitchen stank;
- there is no additional source of income, but I want even more money;
- My son doesn’t want to study and we can’t do anything about it. - You see that the trash can is the least of your worries (and you don’t need to include here “my son is a blockhead, not only does he not want to study, but he also doesn’t take out the trash, he doesn’t understand that the trash needs to be taken out” - it stinks to you now, and not him - you have a problem). So you write down this problem as the smallest one or mark it on your list.
- Write down what you can do with it. You, not a blockhead. And you write “Take it out into the yard into a trash container” (or home garbage chute, or somewhere else where normal people the garbage is thrown away, and not for the neighbor's apartment, since this will be another problem).
- Easily or grittingly, gritting your teeth, you take out this bucket of garbage and bring it home without garbage and perhaps wash it (if something stinks in there). And it’s one less problem, and then you don’t persecute your son for it - it doesn’t exist.
And here’s the math here: let’s take and designate one problem as a unit, a unit of your nerves, attention, time, energy, mental activity, worries, energy and other things. In our example there are 5 problems, that is, 5 units. Due to the fact that you have them, they do not add up to one another, but rather multiply, since they are all yours. And we get 5 (units) problems multiplied by 5 problems (units) and we get 25 units negative emotions, nerves, and so on, and the feeling that you have not 5 separate problems, but 25! And all this puts pressure on you and rather you have the feeling that everything is a problem and there is no way out of it.
And so you wanted to cope with the biggest one - where do you get the strength if you essentially have 25 problems that are pressing on you with all their might?
And then you took out the trash can and now you have 4 problems, and 4 times 4 is 16, that is, 9 units of negativity or tension less. These are the 9 units that are now yours, and which you can now use to solve the next problem on the list and for some other, more constructive or useful and pleasant things.
Then look at the list further. And you find that the next problem that is easiest for you to look at is that you need to get your teeth in order and you write down what can be done about it and then go to the dentist (perhaps having quickly found out before that where the most humane in dentist in the world) and get your teeth in order. Now you have 3 problems, and 3 times 3 equals 9 units, which is 7 units less. And so on down the list: find the easiest one from the list, write what you can do with it and now you have 2 problems or a total of 4 units (and the rest of the original 25 are released and give you more opportunities to do something and more courage to solve other problems, the like arises). And then you are left with one problem, which most likely will no longer be a problem, but will be a task that needs to be completed.
There is one caveat here: as the number of problems decreases, you may be tempted to abandon all the others. Don't do this, the right thing to do is solve them. Naturally, when the units “locked” in problems are released, A New Look for life and you will re-plan something in your life and something will simply cease to be your problem (for example, a hurricane in the USA will cease to concern you or you find out that your son knows what he wants and he is interested in specialized education and then the goal will appear - find those people or institutions that will help your son develop his abilities and talents in the field of activity for which he has a craving).
Take these 4 steps, they help a lot and it’s natural that it may take a few minutes to take out the trash can, but creating and promoting your business (or another one) will most likely take more time.
If problems start to arise, just do these 4 steps.
As for solving problems that concern not you personally, but, for example, the team (staff, country, and so on), then on the contrary, everyone needs to eliminate the biggest blockages together, but this is a separate topic.
You will succeed!
Method 1. Clearly formulate the essence of the task.
Just as a correctly posed question can be considered half the answer, so a clearly formulated problem can be considered half solved. And when you strain your brains to look differently at the situation that worries you, to rethink it, and try to clearly define it all, a new understanding arises within you. And in life, new opportunities open up for you.
Method 2. Step back and look from the outside.
Very often, people react vividly and emotionally to any difficulties, experiencing fear, anger, resentment and other strong negative feelings. All this does not allow us to correctly see the situation, consider the opening prospects and evaluate them. Imagine yourself as a spectator in a circus, in the arena of which a performance based on your situation is being performed. So, from the outside, you will be able to see more opportunities.
Method 3. Simplify the problem.
People tend to complicate things and situations, to look for complex paths and complex solutions. Easy way is considered unworthy of a strong person: “I’d rather go up a mountain than go around it.” In fact, life is simple. And the simpler something happens, the more correct and better it is. The simplest solution is often the best.
Method 4. Focus on the solution.
What you focus on will attract into your life. Focusing on difficulties will only make the situation worse and increase your anxiety. And everything will seem much more complicated to you than it really is. If you believe that a solution exists and focus all your attention on finding ways to solve it, then your problem will always be solved. Our Subconscious can find a solution itself and give a ready answer.
Method 5. Find the information you need.
Often a problem seems overwhelming only because a person does not have any specific knowledge. Then you need to look around carefully and understand what else you need to know or what else you need to learn in order to solve this difficulty. If you can't clearly articulate your problem, this solution is often the best thing you can do.
Method 6. Find an expert.
If you get necessary knowledge is not possible or deadlines are running out, then the best option There will be a search for an expert on this issue. It is very rare that a person faces difficulties that no one else has encountered before. Most likely, your situation has already been resolved by someone. And not just once. Just find these people.
Method 7. Use brainstorming.
Brainstorming is the best way searching for solutions. It’s good to involve your friends or the same experts for this. The more new ideas are generated, the greater the chance of finding the right solution. Don't discard anything right away. Collect everything and analyze it well.
— How to quickly find a solution to a problem.
1) Decision tree.
Decision support tool. It is most often used in data analysis and statistics, but can also be used in everyday life. A decision tree has a "trunk", "branches" and "leaves". The trunk is the problem, the branches display its attributes, and the leaves represent its meaning. Among the advantages of the method, one should highlight the ease of its understanding and interpretation, the absence of the need for data preparation, the ability to work with intervals and categories, the ability to evaluate using static tests, reliability and the ability to process large flows of information without preparatory procedures.
2) "Wheel" method.
Allows you to relatively quickly find a solution to a problem and evaluate it. It consists of eight steps: first, the problem situation is described in all details, then specific facts are searched for and missing information is established, after which the problem is formulated in a positive way. Next, brainstorming is carried out to create a field of ideas for solving the problem, the found options are assessed for realism, a scenario for practical implementation is thought through, and a detailed plan actions. At the last stage, actions are performed, after which their effectiveness is assessed.
3) "Three chests" method.
Designed to help you find solutions to problems even faster. In the process, you need to fill three “chests” with information. The first contains answers to the question: “What negative consequences await us if we follow this path?” To fill the second one, the real threat of the risks contained in the first chest is assessed. The third chest is filled with possible “antidotes” to the threats of the second chest, which are found by brainstorming. As a result, solutions are found, implemented in practice and evaluated.
4)Method of successive approximations.
It's essentially trial and error. It is preferable to use it when there is little information on the problem. The point is that solutions are consistently put forward and considered. Unsuccessful ideas are discarded, and new ones are proposed in their place and tested again. There are no special rules for searching and evaluating here - everything is decided subjectively, and the effectiveness of the method depends on how well people (or a person) understand the issue, problem solving. When using the method, it is important to take into account the element of chance.
5) Bush's Matrix of Ideas.
This is a method of analyzing problem situations and determining the field for finding solutions. To implement it, you need to build a matrix of bilateral relations, for which you need to answer the questions: “What?”, “Who?”, “Where?”, “How?”, “Why?”, “With what?” and when?". By answering them, a person receives all the information about the problem. If you combine questions, you can get a great heuristic hint for a solution.
6)
The most popular solution search tool used by ordinary people and specialists around the world. The meaning of the matrix is to teach a person to optimally distribute the load, distinguish between the important and the urgent, and reduce time for meaningless activities. The matrix consists of four quadrants with two axes - importance and urgency. Cases and tasks are entered into each of them, and as a result, a person receives an objective picture of priority tasks.
7) Descartes square.
Very simple technique decision-making, which takes very little time to apply. The technique helps to identify the main selection criteria and assess the consequences of decisions made. To use the technique, you need to draw a square and divide it into four parts. In each part the question is written: “What will happen if this happens?”, “What will happen if this does not happen?”, “What will not happen if this happens?” and “What won’t happen if this doesn’t happen?” These questions are observation points for the problem. It is from these positions that it needs to be considered. Having answered all the questions, a person receives an objective picture of the state of affairs and the opportunity to assess the prospects. 
- Everything will work out if...
1) Collect enough information about the essence of the problem;
2) Analyze the information;
3) Develop as many options for solving the problem as possible;
4) Properly weigh your options regarding cost, availability and time;
5) Weigh all the pros and cons;
6) Consider all the possibilities and likelihood of success;
7) Be sure that this is the solution to the problem.
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When it comes to creating a stunning report, increasing company profits, or finding your passion, cookie-cutter solutions don't work. Required creative thinking. But where can I get it? Molecular biologist and author of The Flexible Mind Estanislao Bachrach argues that creativity can be pumped up like biceps. Here are five exercises that will help you “build muscles” and solve any non-standard problem.
Exercise 1: Five Whys
To solve a problem, you need to clearly formulate it and get to the very essence. 5 “whys” will help with this.
For example: our task is to increase sales of French fries.
1. Why do people prefer our competitors' fries over ours? Because it tastes better.
2. Why does it taste better? Because their seasonings are better than ours.
3. Why are their seasonings better than ours? Because their chef is better.
4. Why is our chef worse? Because we considered changing the chef unimportant, and for twenty years now we have had an incompetent employee working for us.
5. Why haven't we hired a new chef yet? Because no one dared to offer it to the owner.
Ask your “whys” and look for answers. Sometimes they themselves are the solution to a problem.
Exercise 2. Stupid questions
When the mind compares a task to something unusual, it tries to make the connection meaningful. This is how new connections are formed that lead to a futuristic, non-standard, creative idea.
To stimulate your imagination, ask yourself some “wacky” questions.
Which animal is similar to my problem? How is my problem similar to a flashlight without batteries? If the problem was the lawn in the garden, what would become the weed? How can you use a can of soda that has been sitting in the sun for two hours to solve a problem?
Use your imagination to come up with the most original answer. Don't try to come up with something clever, just have fun. Write down your answers. Re-read them and think about how they can help solve your problem.
Exercise 3. Three stories
Stories work wonders. -
1. Imagine: you are in a distant country. Write short story about this place. How would you handle the creative challenge there?
2. Imagine that you live in a different historical era. Write down how you would solve a creative problem then.
3. Write a science fiction story based on a creative challenge.
Re-read each story looking for associations and clues to solve your problem.
Exercise 4. Turn on your feelings
The more emotionally connected you are to a problem, the more likely you are to come up with a creative idea.
Use your senses to visualize the final solution to the problem.
For example, you need to figure out how to present a report to the CEO. Close your eyes and think about what a perfect report looks like. How do you feel when you touch it? What does it sound like? What smells? What does it taste like? Explore each sensation and think about how to achieve it in life.
Exercise 5. The Road of Ideas
Insights are like a cell phone ringing at a party: you can’t hear it against the background noise. To recognize the voice of the subconscious, you need to relax.
Right now, close your eyes, lie down on the floor and let go of your imagination. Focus on your breathing. You will feel your mind being overwhelmed by all sorts of thoughts. Don't fight them, let them roam freely. Then imagine the path your thoughts take.
