One Big Problem is a Bunch of Little Ones
Volume 11, Number 41
Issue 537
I see so many people who face an overwhelming and challenging situation that spend days either not addressing the problem (because it is so big) or by wondering aimlessly around without knowing where to start. I’ve written a lot about the fact that the worst decision anybody can ever make is to make no decision at all, but I really haven’t ever spoken too much about the fact that big--even insurmountable--problems are actually many little situations grouped together that each have individual solutions.
I see some people who have a huge problem that think there is one big solution that is to be unlocked with one great discovery, but that is rarely the case. Big problems are just like life--a series of small doors and windows that have to be opened one-at-a-time. Often, there is a particular order to the “opening” to gain maximum efficiency, but the process usually starts with using your gut to choose the most logical one to open first and then that first opening leads to a choice of several others and, again, a choice for the most logical one. This process goes on and on until the doors get fewer and fewer. Behind each door is a problem that to the best people is actually an opportunity. It’s choosing that first door wisely that gets a lot of procrastinators in trouble.
As the “big problem” gets broken down into these individual components that I have made analogous to doors, sometimes the next doors are harder; sometimes they are easier, but they are all more focused. When each door leads to other doors, different little paths become known. To entrepreneurs that realize that one of the secrets to success is embracing challenges, it’s always more fun to travel on a little path than an interstate highway--the view is much more exciting and you can control your own destiny better.
As successful people look at the various components of tough problems, the successful diagnosis of which individual problem poses the greatest obstacle within the overall problem is critical. The toughest small components should be addressed first as they will be the hardest of the small doors to open--they will stick very hard. By attacking the toughest component problem first, the best entrepreneur applies the freshest and best of their resources to that one. The unsuccessful entrepreneur will look for the component problems that are easiest and this is wrong. By solving the easy parts of a hard problem first, a sense of complacency and familiarity is received and this is bad--very bad. Rarely is a very complex and hard obstacle overcome by doing the easy parts first.
In short, diagnose all the component parts of something difficult and then attack the hardest of the small doors first in a creative and solutions-oriented way.
Within a very difficult and complex problem, the hardest component is often the one that is the one that seems unreasonable. By attacking this one critical component first, you will be addressing the single, most important issue. While it is human nature to leave this one to the end (because of the emotion of procrastination), this is the piece of the problem that is likely to prevent you from solving the entire problem. By attacking the hardest individual door first with your freshest and most energetic passion, the overall problem is likely to be solved. If you save the hardest individual door for last, you will likely be prevented from solving the overall problem because you addressed the unimportant little doors first because they were familiar.
It’s human nature to want to do the easy things first and since work usually fills the time allotted whether it is a lot or a little work, it is often fatal to solving a big problem to do the easiest components first. While, again, the worst decision is not to make any decision at all, the lack of ability to prioritize the order to put the pieces together by setting to work on the hardest parts first contributes to a continued mentality of “failure to complete.”
I see many people who are “swimming in details” and never seem to be able to complete their biggest projects. I think that this comes from working on the easiest pieces first because they are familiar and comforting. I try every day to use the easiest pieces of the component problems as my reward to having attacked the hardest with my full passion and enthusiasm.
Problems present opportunities for success. Every problem has a unique combination of solutions that are the result of solving the individual components. A big problem is just like a jigsaw puzzle. My Grandmother used to make me do the hardest parts first (the inside) and not the easiest parts (the borders)--she said that it was so that I would learn to solve problems better. I didn’t understand that back when I was 12 years old, but I do now.
Embrace tough problems and find inspiration in the fact that you solve them.
David B. Robinson, CPA
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