When I wrote the intro to this article - "There are no unsolvable problems" - I thought for a minute if I could come up with one. Things that came to mind were things like "send a man around the planet instantly" and "stop a volcano from erupting". First off, I was thinking more about technical problems - since those are the kind I deal with most regularly. Secondly, those problems are not unsolvable. 75 years ago, "put a man on the moon" was considered an absurd and unsolvable problem by many - and yet with pencils, paper, and all the computing power that a modern TI calculator has to offer it was done.
People come to me with problems that are technically difficult with a high degree of frequency. More often than not, the problems come completely out of left field. I understand the mindset - I have a great deal of familiarity with a great many technical issues because I grew up during the time period when personal computer technology shifted from a hardware-hobby to what we have today. I'm one of the people who happened to be interested and paying attention while all this was happening. The other part of the mindset is that I have a strong track record for resolving left-field type problems.
Here's the secret though. I'm not nearly as smart as people give me credit for. I'm intelligent - don't get me wrong :) - but I would never put myself in the same category as men like my father. What I do have going for me is a different way of thinking about problems.
- Don't fear the unknown
- Be rational. When that does not work, Be irrational.
- Think visually
- Linear vs. Dimensional segmentation
- Be motivated
Know what you don't know
Too many people fear what they don't know - and they do it subconsciously. I have a different mindset. I like to have a conscious idea of where the barriers of my knowledge exist. The difference between the two mindsets is confidence in your own abilities. At this point, I am quite comfortable with who I am and with what I know. I have no problem with the phrase "I don't know". Frankly, I think people prefer that answer opposed to an answer based on assumption or hypothesis. When I reach that point, I know that research needs to be done. Sometimes google has the answers for me. Sometimes I have to choose alternate routes to obtain information.The point really is not to fear what you don't know. Do research to familiarize yourself. Find authoritative resources. Figure out the path of least resistance to obtain that knowledge which escapes you. You don't need years of medical school to understand a single health problem - what you need is a resource with the information you need and a methodology for gaining the knowledge you desire. If you don't understand the technical language of medicine, find material to reference while you read, or find a simpler authoritative resource.
Think inside the box, Think outside the box
Most problems can be solved with standard methods. Sometimes better solutions can be had by being creative. Usually when a problem is categorized as "difficult" or "unsolvable" that simply means that standard problem solving techniques have failed. That's when you need to open your mind up to more creative solutions. If you can't move a car out of the garage, can you move the garage? If you can't jump high enough, can you lower the earth? Just because the potential solution sounds like it's making the problem more difficult doesn't make it so. Thinking irrationally can bring new perspective. New perspective brings more problem solving options.Don't shun common sense from the start. Think about things logically first. When that doesn't work, be creative, be irrational, and be brave.
Think in Pictures
Not all problems map to imagery. That's another situation where you need to utilize your own creative mind. When I'm "spacing out" on a problem, what I try to do is imagine a series of logical paths. I identify my source point and my destination. I lay over the paths I've explored that did not work and try to discern whether they were additive or subtractive progressions and then I remove the subtractive ones. I then overlay the paths of similar solutions - be they similar in complexity or in content relevance. I try to draw a line from my source to my destination.This seems abstract and not very helpful, but what I'm doing is applying a conscious effort to activate my subconscious mind. Floating n-dimensional objects, paths, and lines are simply tools I use to trigger areas of my mind that are locked away from my current line of thinking. If a visualization simply isn't working and a solution continues to escape me, I visualize in different ways - thinking alternatively about numbers, speech patterns, images, memories, etc. Different imaginative efforts utilize different areas of the brain. When a problem is that difficult to resolve, you have to exercise as much of it as you can.
Think of it like counting sheep. Imagining the sheep moving around exercises one part of your brain. Counting exercises another. Combined effort makes most people sleepy. Visualization can be a way to get your mind working in new and exciting ways.
The other side of the equation is that simple visualization of a problem can make it easier to resolve - but you already have that part down.
Troubleshooting
You have to understand whether a problem is linear or whether it is something that can be solved with similar and recursive effort. Break the problem down into sub-problems. Are the subproblems similar? Do they look like they can be resolved in a loop or with a common methodology? Don't try to solve the whole world's problems all at the same time. The only way to get it done is to attack each problem individually - and re-use original effort where possible.Motivation
The single most difficult barrier to problem resolution is motivation. Motivation can come from a lot of different places, but realize that some motivation is more effective than others.Money is a great motivator for some people, but not for me. I like money as much as the next guy, but it doesn't get my mind working the way it needs to work in order for me to do my job. I am much more motivated by interest and a thirst for knowledge than by posession. When you find yourself with a lack of motivation, think about how the process that evolved such that you came to be faced with a particular problem. Find your motivation somewhere along the way.
You won't work on a problem without motivation. Work ethic can only get you so far - desire has to take over at some point and get you the rest of the way there. How do your ultimate desires relate to the current problem at hand?
Conclusion
There you have it. Problem solving, Kallestad style.Solving Unsolvable Problems Commentary
