You’re stuck. Maybe it’s a project that won’t move, a relationship that feels like a loop, or just a weird noise in your car engine that won’t quit. We call these things "problems," but honestly, most of us have no idea what a problem actually is. We mistake the symptoms for the source. We fight the smoke instead of the fire.
It's frustrating.
Essentially, a problem is the gap between where you are and where you want to be, but with a catch: you don’t immediately know how to bridge that gap. If you know the solution, it’s just a task. If you don't, it’s a puzzle. According to the late cognitive scientist Herbert Simon, who won a Nobel Prize for his work on decision-making, a problem exists when you want something but don't know what series of actions to take to get it. That sounds simple, but in the real world, it’s messy.
The Anatomy of a Problem
Most people think of a problem as a single "thing" that went wrong. It isn't. It’s a structure.
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You’ve got your current state—the "ugh" moment. Then you’ve got your goal state—the "ah" moment. In between lies the friction. This friction can be a lack of resources, a lack of knowledge, or even a lack of permission. But here’s the kicker: the way you frame that friction determines whether you’ll ever actually solve it.
Think about the "Slow Elevator" case study often cited in business schools. Tenants in an office building complain the elevator is too slow. The engineers look at the motors and the software. They try to make it faster. It’s expensive. It’s a technical problem. But then a manager suggests a different approach. They put mirrors next to the elevators. People stop complaining. Why? Because the problem wasn't the speed; it was the boredom of waiting.
The mirrors didn't fix the elevator, but they fixed the "problem."
Well-Defined vs. Ill-Defined Issues
Not all headaches are created equal.
In psychology, we split these into two buckets. Well-defined problems have clear start points, clear end points, and a set of rules. A math equation is a well-defined problem. You know when you’ve won. You know the steps.
Ill-defined problems are the ones that actually keep you up at night. "How do I be happy?" or "How do we fix the company culture?" These don't have a clear "Solved" state. They are shifting targets. You move one piece, and the whole board changes. Most of our modern lives are spent grappling with these ill-defined monsters while wishing they were simple math problems.
Why We Fail to See the Real Issue
Our brains are lazy. It’s a biological fact. We use heuristics—mental shortcuts—to save energy. This leads to "Functional Fixedness." This is a cognitive bias where you can only see an object or a situation in the way it’s traditionally used.
Back in 1945, psychologist Karl Duncker did a study called the Candle Problem. He gave people a candle, a box of thumbtacks, and matches. He told them to fix the candle to the wall so it wouldn't drip on the table. Most people tried to tack the candle to the wall. It failed. The solution? Empty the box, tack the box to the wall, and put the candle in it.
The box wasn't just a container; it was a shelf. But because it started as a container, people’s brains "fixed" it in that role.
We do this with our lives too. We see a "money problem" and only look for ways to make more money. We don't see the "spending problem" or the "expectation problem" or the "lifestyle creep problem." We are blinded by the labels we put on things.
The Problem with Problem-Solving
Sometimes, the way we try to fix things makes them worse. This is what Paul Watzlawick called "Second-Order Change."
First-order change is doing more or less of the same thing. If you’re cold, you turn up the heat. Simple. Second-order change is changing the system itself. If you keep turning up the heat but the house stays cold because the windows are open, you’re stuck in a loop. You’re working hard on the wrong thing.
Let’s look at real-world examples:
- Technology: We build faster roads to solve traffic (First-order). But faster roads often lead to more people driving, which leads to... more traffic. This is known as induced demand.
- Health: You feel tired, so you drink more coffee. The coffee ruins your sleep. You wake up more tired. The "solution" is now the primary driver of the problem.
- Business: A manager sees low productivity and adds more reporting requirements to "track" work. The team now spends all their time on reports instead of working. Productivity drops further.
It’s a cycle that’s hard to break because it feels like you're doing something. Doing nothing feels like failing, even when doing something is actively making it worse.
Shifting Your Perspective
If you want to actually understand a problem, you have to stop trying to solve it for a second. You have to interrogate it.
Toyota famously used a method called the "5 Whys." It’s exactly what it sounds like. You ask "why" five times to get past the symptoms.
- Why did the machine stop? (A fuse blew.)
- Why did the fuse blow? (The bearing was over-loaded.)
- Why was it over-loaded? (The bearing wasn't lubricated.)
- Why wasn't it lubricated? (The pump wasn't pumping.)
- Why wasn't it pumping? (The shaft was worn.)
If you just replaced the fuse, the machine would have stopped again an hour later. By the fifth "why," you’ve found a mechanical failure that requires a systemic fix. Most of us stop at the first "why." We replace the fuse and wonder why our lives keep blowing up.
The Role of Emotion
We like to think we are rational beings. We aren't. We are emotional beings who occasionally use logic to justify our feelings.
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When a problem hits, we feel a threat. Our amygdala kicks in. Our vision literally narrows. We go into fight-or-flight mode. This is the worst possible state for creative problem-solving. When you are stressed, you lose access to the "divergent thinking" needed to see the box as a shelf.
This is why "sleeping on it" actually works. It’s not just a cliché. During REM sleep, your brain reorganizes information and makes associations that your conscious, stressed-out mind would never consider. You wake up and suddenly the answer is there. It didn’t come from nowhere; it came from a brain that finally felt safe enough to be creative.
Actionable Steps to Redefine Your Problems
Stop looking for the answer. Start looking for the question.
- Write it down in one sentence. If you can’t describe the problem in a single sentence without using the word "and," you don't understand it yet.
- Identify the constraints. What are the "non-negotiables"? Sometimes we think we have a problem, but we’ve actually just set impossible rules for ourselves.
- Invert the situation. Ask, "How could I make this problem even worse?" Sometimes seeing the path to failure makes the path to success obvious. This is a favorite tactic of Charlie Munger, the late billionaire investor.
- Change the environment. If you’re stuck at a desk, move to a park. If you’re stuck in a meeting room, go for a walk. Physical movement breaks mental loops.
- Query the 'Sunk Cost'. Are you only trying to solve this because you’ve already spent three years on it? Sometimes the "solution" is to walk away from the problem entirely. That is a valid choice.
Real growth doesn't come from having fewer problems. It comes from having better ones. You want to move from "How do I pay rent?" to "How do I manage this investment portfolio?" Both are problems. One is a much better problem to have.
Identify the gap. Challenge your assumptions about the box. Stop replacing fuses when the shaft is worn.
The most effective way to solve any problem is to realize that the first version of the problem you see is almost always a lie. Look deeper.