Solving the wrong problem is the most common problem-solving mistake. Here’s how to avoid it.

Solving problems takes time, energy and attention.

These are resources you can’t get back. That’s why it’s worth taking a few minutes to explore if you’ve identified the right problem in the first place.

Stress-testing your assumptions doesn’t need to be complicated.

Start with Why

Let’s take a common problem, making more money, and ask ourselves:

Why is it important to solve this problem?

You’ll find there is almost always competing “whys” at play, for example:

• Money will give me the freedom to spend my time how I want.
• Money will help me create the change I want to see in the world.

These outcomes are different. First, they probably require different amounts of wealth. More importantly, they imply secondary objectives (free time vs world impact).

These nuances are crucial.

If you’re looking for money and impact, starting your career off at a prestigious company, like McKinsey, might be perfectly reasonable. But if you value your free time, you’re going to want to steer clear of most prestigious jobs.

Just because two people have a similar problem, doesn’t mean they should use the same solution.

Question Your Assumptions

After you prioritize your whys, you might realize that money isn’t actually what you’re after.

Perhaps you should be solving for freedom or world impact instead. The following questions can help you stress-test if you’ve selected the right one:

• If I solve this problem, how will I feel?
• What are the possible ways solving this problem could backfire?
• What other problems could I solve to get to the same result?
• What would ____ say?

Answering simple questions is often enough to change your perspective and set you down a slightly, or even wildly different path.

Once you get honest about your “whys”, and clear on the direction you want to take, you can be confident that the time, energy and attention you spend will be well worth it.

This post was created with Typeshare