Problem Solving Skills – Views and Advice of Steve Pavlina

Problems can be anywhere, at work, at home and literally anywhere. When things do not go according to our plans or wishes, we label the situation as a problem. Problems are a natural and definite in all our lives. It is the process of overcoming these to achieve the desired result is known as problem solving. It is a mental process to understand, analyze, define and solve problems. Though everyone has faced and solved problems, it is till difficult when we come face to face with problems.

While we may be able to solve some problems there are many that will stay on or come back again and again. For example, accidents, illness or nature’s fury can bring with them a gamut of problems about which we may be caught unawares. We can only be prepared to some extent but never in a position to solve the problem completely so that they never occur again.

Steve Pavlina has some insightful ideas in his personal development blog stevepavlina.com that can help us to learn problem solving skills and attitude to approach problems in a confident and practical way.

In his article titled ‘The Joy of Solving Problems” he says, “Life’s problems do not exist to beat you down. They exist to help you grow.”

Instead of looking at problems as obstacles, it is wiser to treat them as an opportunity to grow.

According to him, solving problems increases our resourcefulness and the more you do it the better you get in problem solving skills.

Here are some important problem solving skills and tips as per Steve Pavlina

Get stronger

Steve cites his own experience to explain this concept. When found himself broke ten years earlier, he went about the intermediate steps and making adjustments to his attitude to become strong enough to solve his financial problem.

Consequently he became mentally stronger and his finances improved as a result of his improved knowledge and skill. He values the growth of his inner strength, knowledge and the skills more than his financial gain.

He equates the stress and strain in going through the process of solving the problem to the pain of the tough work out at the gym. He says, “I made many adjustments to my attitude. By lifting those weights, I grew stronger mentally, and my finances soon followed.”

Timeboxing

Steve says, “Cleaning, organizing, and minor repairs are great places to begin. Straighten your desk. Clean the toilet. Organize one shelf. Clear your email inbox. Hang that picture. Remove the expired food from your fridge.” Learn tips on getting organized at our blog – How to get organized in life

He recommends ‘timeboxing’ to do these tasks by allotting a certain amount of time to each. Regardless of how much progress you have made, you can stop. This helps you to be free from being overwhelmed. These are the gym work outs

Change your Perspective

According to Steve Pavlina, changing your perspectives will help in redefining your problem. Changing amounts to breaking your old habits which may seem difficult. But it can open up a new world that holds possible solutions to your problems. If you limit the definition of the problem you also miss out on the potentially viable solutions.

A multi perspective approach holds the key to success which increases dramatically. Two individual solutions may not bring the desired results but a combination of both can provide a perfect solution. This holds true in business too, and is one of the important problem solving skills according to Steve Pavilina

Find Direct solution

Steve Pavlina also recommends the identification of a direct solution with relative ease, as it may turn out that the real problem is not what you presume it to be. He urges you to find the simplest and quickest way to your ultimate goal with the assumption that you have unlimited courage and discipline. So here is where you have to make an important choice, as to whether you would be disciplined and courageous or otherwise.

Looking at problem solving through the eyes of Steve Pavlina, it can be summed up in his own words: “Another benefit is that by solving these problems for myself, I’ve been able to write many articles to share what I’ve learned. I couldn’t have done that if I bypassed all those difficult lessons”.

Article by Vasantha Chary

Vasantha has written 50 articles.

Vasantha Chary is an avid reader and a passionate writer. She believes in reaching out to people across the world through her well researched articles. She has been writing for the internet for over 4 years on a variety of topics of general interest..