I was out at the park yesterday to clear my head and do a different kind of thinking. Being outside is something that I find energising and helps me get my brain moving.
When we encounter a big problem, we’re unsure what to do with it and our brain gets stuck.
In this situation, instead of thinking of the problem as an amorphous mass that has no frame to it, I think of it as a puzzle. It makes it much more energising. When we do puzzles, we know that it's going to have a structure to it and that it's solvable.
If we think of a big problem as having a structure, it enables us to develop strategies for it. For example, with a picture puzzle, where do you start? You complete all the edges which give you your perimeter or boundary.
So next time you have a really big problem, try working out the boundary. Ask yourself, what is the edge or scope of this problem?
Once you have the perimeter, it will enable you to move forward by asking:
• If that's the perimeter, what might the full picture look like?
• How can I break it down into its different elements?