Problem Solving: 30-Day Growth Guide

Points clés

• Spend the first week only naming problems, writing each one as a gap between what happens now and what you want instead.
• Before fixing anything, compare when the problem happens with when it could happen but does not; the difference usually points at the cause.
• Never choose from a single idea: list at least three options, including doing nothing, and score them on cost, speed and whether you can undo them.
• Test the smallest version of a solution for three to five days against a written prediction, then review what actually happened.
• Count three numbers every Friday, and when a week slips, do its core action at the weekend instead of restarting the month.

À l'intérieur de ce bit

1. How the thirty days are built

   A problem is a gap between what is happening and what you want to happen. Problem solving is the skill of closing that gap on purpose rather than by luck.

2. Week one: name the gap before fixing it

   Most failed fixes start with a badly named problem. 'I am always late' is a complaint, not something you can work on.

3. Week two: find causes, not culprits

   Once a problem is named, the temptation is to blame someone. Blame feels like progress but rarely is, because the same problem usually returns with a new person in the frame.

4. Week three: widen the options, then choose

   Beginners often act on the first idea that arrives, which is rarely the best one. Week three sets a simple rule: no choice until at least three options are on paper.

5. Week four: test small and review honestly

   A solution is only a guess until it meets real life. Week four turns your chosen option into a test: the smallest version you can run for three to five days, with a check date written in your log before you start.

6. Keeping score and rescuing a slipped week

   Progress in problem solving is hard to feel, so count it. Every Friday, take three numbers from your log.