Problem solving secrets from Einstein
November 5, 2008
Everybody’s got problems. Me, my cats keep clawing through my front porch screen. I thought I’d solved the problem when I replaced the screen, but the cats just did it again. Clearly, I hadn’t articulated the problem clearly enough — I had to find a way to keep them from clawing their way out. Or perhaps my error was in buying cats in the first place. Hmm…
The most important step to solving a problem is to figure out exactly what that problem is. As such, Luciano Passuello at Litemind presents 10 ways to properly define a problem, based on an idea courtesy of Albert Einstein: “Einstein is quoted as having said that if he had one hour to save the world he would spend fifty-five minutes defining the problem and only five minutes finding the solution.”
As teachers, you’re tasked with showing students to solve all sorts of problems, be they mathematical, situational, ethical, or even “other.” For example, simply rephrasing a problem may have great results. Passuello states,
“When a Toyota executive asked employees to brainstorm ‘ways to increase their productivity,’ all he got back were blank stares. When he rephrased his request as ‘ways to make their jobs easier,’ he could barely keep up with the amount of suggestions.”
As for me, I’ve taken this problem-defining advice to heart and figured out how to solve my porch screen situation. I realized the the real problem was that I assumed I could control my cats, when in fact, they are in charge (just ask them). Now I’m leaving the hole in the screen alone. Yep, I’m a regular Einstein. -BILL FERRIS
Einstein’s Secret to Amazing Problem Solving (and 10 Specific Ways You Can Use It)
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