Have you ever been faced with a problem you just could not figure out a solution to? You know what I’m talking about. You just get to that point where you hit a wall and feel like your brain couldn’t possibly find you a legitimate answer, or even a fairly decent idea.
If you have never reached this point then you deserve an award because it is a place many of us have been and it stinks! For those of us that have reached this point, what do you do? How do you kick start your brain to come up with a solution?
I face this issue many times a week when solving problems for work. I get stuck and I just don’t know what to do. Should I walk away from it for a bit and come back with a clear head? Or do I keep working and coming up with ideas until one works?
I actually found a solution in an article I read titled, “The “Just look at it” hack to problem solving.” Dave Lee, the author, came up with a great solution to the issue of problem solving that I have actually been testing out and seeing results with. Here is how it works:
Jot down all the notes regarding your problem/challenge and print it out.- Just look at the printed notes and let your brain mull it over.
- Keep at it. It’s ok if you start dozing. Just wake up and keep looking at the printed notes.
- When inspiration comes, start taking notes. But keep going until you get the creative solution you need.
The basic premise here is that when you are problem solving you should try staring at your problem and letting your brain do the work for you. If it wanders, that’s okay, but the point is to keep coming back to it. This idea has worked out really well for me because for some problems I don’t have time to walk away from the problem and come back to it in a few hours or the next day. This way I am constantly thinking about the problem and solutions come to me in between spurts of other ideas.
So next time you are faced with an issue you do not have an immediate answer to, I challenge you to just look at it. It can’t hurt anymore then the no solution you are faced with, can it?
To read Lee's full article on problem solving, click here.