Problem Solving

“If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions” — Albert Einstein

There’s no silver bullet, yet here is my personal bullet-list:

Do the Right things – then do things right (Theory of Constraints) 🎯
Upstream thinking – proactive mindset, lasting impact 📈
Root Cause – look beyond, dig down to the fundamental truth 🌰
Long-term ownership – see the mountain top first, then go 🗻
Low-hanging fruit – the simplest solution with the highest value 🍐
Explore first, judge letter – thinking out loud out of box gives air 🪽
Embrace change due to fast feedback – single change at the time reduces false beliefs 🏹
Visibility & transparency – communicate clear solutions, show roadmap progress 👓🐾

First Principles thinking

“When you struggle with a problem, that’s when you understand it” — Elon Musk

Define the Problem clearly – find the core question
Break it down – decompose into the elementary parts that’re undeniably true
Rebuild from the ground up – reconstruct the solution from found fundamental truths
Question first – avoid automating/optimizing wrong thing before understanding root cause
Simplify & focus – strip away unnecessary complexity, focus on the essentials

Now, Let’s boil it down to the First Principles thinking:

{
  motorboat: [🛶,🎿,⛽,🌊]
  tank️: [⚙️,🛡,🔫️,💣️]
  submarine: [🛳,️🐋,🔭,🌊]
  bicycle: [🚶,🛞,🪑‍,🔁️,🛣]
  snowmobile: [🛵,🎿,⏱️,❄️]
}

Fast Decisions making

The key is to make decisions quickly and adapt as U learn:

Avoid analysis paralysis – don’t get stuck in overthinking, ditch ideological purity 🙉
Accept & Prioritize – reduce the number of tasks to N < 5 (Miller’s Law) 🧮️
Next single task – focus on the most important single task 🎯
One thing at a time – change one thing, so U could analyze and learn 🩻
Make First step – take the smallest action, to build momentum 🚶
Day One – start all-over, like it’s the first day of Ur project 🗓️
Minimal Viable Work – focus on the smallest set of features that deliver value 🛠️

CIA method

Choose a solution
Implement it
Adjust based on feedback

Act instantly, then iterate based on new information

OODA Loop

Observe – collect raw signals, unfiltered
Orient – put them in context, fast, on trained instinct
Decide – pick the next single move
Act – do it, then observe again

Col. John Boyd’s Air Force dogfight loop – now business, life

Whoever loops faster wins – tempo beats perfection

One-way vs Two-way Doors

Two-way door – reversible, decide fast, walk back if wrong
One-way door – irreversible, slow down, deliberate

Jeff Bezos’ framing, Amazon’s 2015 letter

Most calls are two-way doors treated like one-way ones – speed is free there

5 WHYs

Repeatedly ask “Why?” (~five times) U can move beyond the immediate symptoms and uncover the foundational issue

SWOT analysis

Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats

Add a valuable context into the problem-solving process

Eisenhower Matrix

Important

Not important

UrgentNot urgent

Tasks with deadlines or consequences

SCHEDULE

Tasks with unclear deadlines that drive long-term success

DELEGATE

Tasks that must be done, yet don’t require Ur skill set

DELETE

Distractions and unnecessary tasks

Solution oriented quotes

“We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them” — Albert Einstein

“Turn your obstacles into opportunities and your problems into possibilities” — Roy T. Bennett

“Every problem has a solution; it may sometimes just need another perspective” — Katherine Russell

“Don’t find fault, find a remedy” — Henry Ford