Solving the Problem-Solving Problem

Let’s see if my problem-solving methodology applies to itself. It consists in answering three questions:

What is your problem?

Failure to solve impactful problems is frustrating.

How does this problem emerge?

It must have something to do with human psychology. We want to feel useful to ourselves and our kind so we look for problems to solve. Finding none, we start coming up with artificial ones. Or we decide to start tackling problems that are well above our capacities. In both cases, this leads to frustration in ourselves and others as we fail to make a positive impact.

What can you do about it?

Before jumping to solve a problem, it is wise to try to define it, understand how it emerged, and evaluate if solving it is within our reach. If no satisfying answers can be provided, the problem should be dropped. Good problems come naturally.