Don’t Fix Problems. Create Solutions
Don’t Fix Problems. Create Solutions
Problems are ever-present, but there’s a big difference between fixing a problem and creating a lasting solution.
Hi everyone,
This week’s Sunday Edition discusses what we do when we’re faced with a problem. Sometimes we barrel right through and fix it, but other times it makes sense for us to pull back and create a lasting solution.
As always, I hope you find the ideas/prompts below helpful, and thanks for reading!
Kevin
Don’t Fix Problems. Create Solutions
We always hope for the easy fix: the one simple change that will erase a problem in a stroke. But few things in life work this way. Instead, success requires making a hundred small steps go right - one after the other, no slipups, no goofs, everyone pitching in.
Atul Gawande
When we face a new problem we know will happen again, we have a choice: fix it right now and move on or spend extra time creating a solution that won’t solve our problem immediately but will prevent it from happening in the future.
In the workplace, billions are spent every year automating redundant or repetitive processes. If someone else can do our job or a computer can do our job, we get fired. If we can figure out solutions to problems, we get promoted.
In relationships, we can fight about what restaurant to go to every weekend and constantly fix the same problem, or we can find a solution to have those conversations in an agreeable manner.
Fixing a problem is a band-aid, but finding solutions is top-tier medical care that makes us stronger and more resilient than we were before. It’s a fundamental shift in how we approach the world.
The fire department seems like a purely reactive problem-solving organization that only springs into action when catastrophe strikes, but in reality, they’re also investing a huge amount of time and energy into creating solutions. When a fire breaks out, there is no doubt it needs to be extinguished, but their efforts to define and enforce fire codes and educate the community create solutions that prevent most fires from occurring in the first place.
They could eradicate fires almost entirely if they implemented solutions rigorous enough, but it would be unrealistically restrictive. They are limited to solutions that provide the maximum amount of protection while allowing everyone to live their day-to-day lives more or less unencumbered. The remaining potential for fires is an accepted risk and a problem they’ll need to solve in the moment.
The fire department creates a heuristic we should all strive for, creating solutions to eliminate as much risk/uncertainty/inconvenience as we can without completely restricting our lifestyle.
It’s easy to live carefree and fix problems as they arise, but it can be addicting to over-optimize every aspect of our lives and try to create solutions for everything too. Sometimes we need to put out fires, but as much as we can, we should try to ensure they never happen in the first place.
Prompts
Are there any problems you have to solve over and over again? What solution can you create to eliminate them?
Is your tendency to solve every problem as it arises or create too many solutions?
What solutions have you been trying to create that haven’t been working no matter how hard you try? What would happen if you abandoned them in exchange for reactive problem-solving?
Deep Dive
The Checklist Manifesto - Atul Gawande
Highly acclaimed quick read that will change the way you think about solving problems.
Thanks for reading! I’ll see you next Sunday.
Kevin