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Author:
Steve Gillman

Learning a few good problem solving techniques can
improve your bottom line and your life.

Do you ever run out of good ideas, or go around in circles
trying to come up with a solution for a persistent problem?
Maybe you just need to learn some simple problem solving
techniques, and then start applying them. Choose one or two
of the methods below, and get in the habit of using them in
your personal life and your business.

Using Your Unconscious Mind

Let your unconscious mind do your problem solving. Outline a
problem in your mind before going to sleep, and tell your
brain to go to work. Einstein had good luck with this
technique, sometimes getting the "ah-ha" insight while
shaving the next morning.


Next, instruct your mind to keep working on the problem
while you do other things. There is more than we know going
on inside our heads. An answer may come to you when you
least expect it.


Try working on problems when you are in a drowsy state. This
can result in more creative solutions.

Systematic Problem Solving
Techniques

Challenge assumptions . For example, if you are
assuming you need a better or higher-paying job, ask "do I
really need a better job?" Maybe you can get a raise, or
somehow make the job you have better. A business on the side
might be an option. Don't let your assumptions limit the
possible solutions.

Break it down . Buying a house is a big move that is
really a bunch of small steps. This is true of many
problems. Start by addressing all of the components of a
problem individually, and it may not seem so overwhelming.
This makes it easier to motivate yourself.

Ask others for advice . They may or may not have good
ideas, but in any case this helps you be sure that you are
not overlooking anything obvious.

Write it down . Then find another way to express the
problem and write that down. Continue with all
solutions and ideas that come to mind. Write down
everything. Later you can pick the diamonds out of
the dirt.

Change your perspective . Imagine you are rich, poor,
a child, a visitor from another planet. How would you see
the problem from this new perspective? Einstein imagined
riding on a beam of light, which lead to his theory of
relativity, so this technique has been known to
work.

More Problem Solving Techniques

Randomly pick an object, and ask what it can teach you about
your problem. If you're looking for a way to fire a bad
employee, for example, a mailbox might make you think of
writing him a letter (and a billboard might make you laugh).
A tree might give you no ideas, but then a frail roadworker
might make you think, "maybe he is just in the wrong
position, and he can do a good job elsewhere in the
company."

Using this problem solving technique, you'll have many silly
ideas pop into your head. Don't be too dismissive of them,
as they will sometimes trigger a thought that is more
useful. You can use this creative technique anywhere, and
it's great for putting driving time to good use.

Solve Problems By Causing Them

One way to solve problems is to ask how you can cause them.
This is good technique for personal problems. Too much
stress? Think of ways to cause more stress.
Hmm...promise too much, don't sleep enough, allow constant
interruptions, leave many decisions hanging there
unresolved, and so on. Each of these ways to cause stress
can show you something. If you make fewer promises, sleep
more, don't allow too many interruptions, make decisions now
(to get them off your mind), you might be more relaxed.

Need customers? How can you scare them away? The point is
that if you only look at the problem from the perspective of
"How do I solve it?" you tend to see only solutions based on
your hidden assumptions. If, for example, you are assuming
that your stress is simply due to having too many things to
do, you may miss many solutions. So looking at how to cause
a problem will show you more ways to solve it.

Still More Problem Solving Techniques

Try "assuming the absurd." Putting stores in the homes of
consumers was an absurd idea at one time, but isn't that
what television shopping networks and internet stores do?
What at first seems crazy may lead to ideas that are useful.
Backpackers get tired of carrying heavy packs, so one
pursued the "crazy" idea, "What if backpacks had wheels?"
It's for sale now (the "Wheelpacker"), and it can handle
most rough trails with its modified bicycle wheel.

Pick a few absurd solutions or ideas related to the problem
at hand, and work with them for a few minutes to see what
comes to mind. If "assuming the absurd" is difficult for
you, start by "assuming the opposite." Need to lower
expenses? What if you raise them instead? Find a way to make
sense of that, and you are on your way to creative problem
solving.

Note: For more tips on how to solve problems, improve your
concentration, and increase your brain power in
general, visit http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com

About the Author
Steve Gillman has been studying brain improvement, creative
problem solving and related topics for years. Some of what
he has discovered can be found on his website: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com

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A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Brainpower... Beyond Brainstorming – Large Groups When leaders, consultants and managers require ideas, they automatically tend to herd people into a room and conduct a (usually ineffective) brainstorming session. One reason for their ineffectiveness is a failure to consider the impact of group size. There is a pervasive belief that creativity is enhanced in larger groups. However, significant data indicates that large groups are detrimental to creative output. Some of the arguments against large groups are: a) The sum of ideas produced by individuals acting alone is greater than the sum of ideas produced by those same individuals when acting as a group. b) Large groups dilute ideas. c) Symptoms of group think increase as a group gets larger due to the illusion of invulnerability, unquestioned belief in the group’s morality and rationalisation by collective justification of decisions. d) As group size increases, the percentage of individual performance decreases. A single person is 95% engaged in a task, two people are each 90% engaged and the decline increases until it evens out at about 15 members to around 30%. e) Groups of three to five elicit much more conformity than just one or two. f) Large groups increase levels of evaluation apprehension and social loafing. g) Large groups result in core and peripheral members, restricting information flow. h) Conflict is inevitable as group size increases, causing sub-group formation and politicking. i) Large groups create sub-groups with conflicting identitites and goals. j) Large groups introduce time inefficiencies. 30 individuals can work on 30 problems and produce 150 ideas (30 x 5) in the same time that 1 group working on 1 problem and produces 5 ideas (1 x 5). The above and other data suggests that group size should be kept small....