Problems are something that we all have; no person on this planet, no matter how rich or famous they are, can avoid problems, whether professional or personal.
The one thing that most of us figure out early on is that trying to reach any type of goal often requires us to surmount a number of difficulties, some of which may seem insurmountable when we first encounter them.
Problems exist as a result of Murphy’s Law: if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. Once Murphy’s Law is put into effect in the real world, it becomes easy to see why we face so many challenges. At the same time, our ability to overcome these challenges is something which allows us to get the things we want.
Whenever you encounter problems (and trust me you will), you sometimes have to take a step back and spend time thinking about the root causes of the problem. Some problems are not really problems at all, they only seem like problems because we are looking at the issue from the wrong perspective.
Other problems have solutions which are plain and easy to see, but we often are unwilling to go with these solutions because we simply don’t like the effects that they will bring.
No matter what, when you’re dealing with any problem, becoming frustrated or emotional is not a key to success. While college teaches you how to solve certain problems, their process is limited.
We all encounter problems in math classes that must be solved, but the problems I’m referring to in this article are much more broad. Life is full of problems which are very diverse, and some may involve personal or business relationships while others may be related to the family.
There are a variety of different methods that can be used to solve various problems, and some of these include divide and conquer and root cause analysis. Each problem has its own specific characteristics, and you must be able to overcome each one of these characteristics in order to properly solve the problem.
The Power of Divide and Conquer
One of the most effective ways of solving complex problems is to split them up into a parts and deal with them one-on-one. This may also be referred to as the reductionist approach.
When you try to solve a problem by attacking it as a single unit, you will often find that the problem is so complex that it becomes next to impossible to solve in this manner.
By breaking the problem down into parts, it becomes easier to manage, and you handle the parts piece-by-piece until the entire problem has been successfully overcome. Another classic problem solving method that you can use is trial and error.
Trial and error seems quite basic, but it can be highly effective in overcoming some of the most challenging problems. Trial and error is a problem solving method that many large multinational corporations use all the time.
For example, when McDonalds wants to introduce a new product to the market, but they aren’t sure whether or not the consumer has a taste for it, they don’t release the product simultaneously to all their restaurants around the globe.
Instead, they use a trial and error method, introducing the product at a handful of restaurants, and then they measure the sales and reception to see if the consumer likes it. If the consumer does not, they simply discontinue the product, saving themselves many marketing dollars in the process.
Many marketing companies use a similar strategy, and it is a good one because it allows you to test the waters with your feet before attempting to dive in head first. Brainstorming is another classic method that can allow you to overcome different problems.
Sometimes, the primary thing you need is the time to rationalize and figure out all the details of the problem in order to come up with an effective solution that can be useful in solving it.
Contrary to popular belief, while brainstorming is often done in groups, it has been shown that it is more effective when done alone.
When solving problems, try to avoid becoming emotional. Emotion will hurt you big time if you let it seep in during the problem solving process. One of the worst emotions that you can allow to grow is frustration.
Solving problems, particularly difficult ones, can be notoriously difficult, and once you allow frustration or panic to set in, it becomes more likely that you will fail in trying to solve them.
