How to outsmart a common problem-solving trap

2 minute read

Without realising it, we can all fall into the trap of over relying on our experience to solve problems when pressed for time or feeling overwhelmed instead of remaining open to new and better ideas. A simple thinking hack can help anyone outsmart this problem.

Overload and fear create a thinking trap

When work overload and overwhelm persists we can develop a condition called attention deficit trait or ADT. It’s a condition, first described by American psychiatrist Edward Hallowell, and is a cousin of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  The more overwhelmed we feel, the less creative we become, and the bigger the thinking trap we can fall into.

As we get more experience in our work roles, our confidence grows. We’ve practiced loads of times making judgements about challenges we have faced and overcome, and learned and refined what works and what doesn’t.

The more experience we accumulate and the stronger our track record of success becomes, or perception of it, the more right we think we tend to think we will be over being wrong when we make decisions.  

We grow accustomed to knowing what to do in challenging situations and having others praise or rely on us for our cleverness. We become known in our workplace as a ‘smart person’.

When smart people have plenty of time to think about a problem, they can more easily remain open to new ideas and can think creatively – which widens the options to find the best solutions to problems.

However, throw in the reality of the modern workplace where there’s constant time pressure and multiple priorities to juggle, smart people can become overwhelmed. 

“Like the traffic jam, ADT is an artifact of modern life. It is brought on by the demands on our time and attention that have exploded over the past two decades. As our minds fill with noise—feckless synaptic events signifying nothing—the brain gradually loses its capacity to attend fully and thoroughly to anything”, Hallowell says.

When smart people become overwhelmed, their default setting becomes reactive – they move into survival mode and tend to overuse their experience to solve problems, because its faster and takes less time and energy.

Their priority is to get the problem under control immediately and then move onto the next threat to deal with. Fear becomes the dominant driving emotion.

This causes smart people to lose access to their creativity, curiosity and interestingly, their sense of humour. Smart people under time pressure and suffering overwhelm can become very prickly to deal with.

Overwhelmed smart people are usually unaware their brains are compromised and are unable use or access all of their smarts. It becomes a blind spot and thinking trap they can’t see.

Where this becomes more difficult for smart people, is when they make a decision about how to approach or solve a problem and a colleague or team member challenges them to think differently.

Their survival instinct forces them to defend their decision because being right is part of their reputation and brand. They can’t be seen to be wrong and mistakenly feel attacked. Defensiveness creates unnecessary conflict and slams the door shut to considering and searching for higher value ideas.

It also places a brick in the wall of mistrust separating smart people from others in an organisation. It’s exhausting, frustrating and ultimately undermines the performance of smart people.

There’s a quick fix to outsmart this problem you’ll be pleased to hear.

Image generated by Leonardo.Ai

Outsmart this problem with a hack to bring creativity back

The first step in outsmarting this problem is to find a cue or reminder that your brain will use to signal it to follow the hack response we will cover in step two.

It’s a method James Clear explains in his book Atomic Habits.

He says the easiest way to start a new habit is to develop an implementation intention that goes like this:

“When situation X arises (cue), I will perform response Y (the hack)”. 

When under stress, our brains revert to habits to conserve energy and allow us to function. Smart people need to create a new habit to help themselves allow creativity back when tackling challenging problems under pressure or feeling overwhelmed.

The cue to use could be things like receiving a weekly sales report, receiving a call from a team member saying, ‘we have a problem’ or it could any time you hear yourself think the word ‘problem’. 

Visual reminders can also help. When I was getting speech training my coach told me to put a red dot on the top of my computer.  And whenever I sat down and saw it, I was to take 2 minutes to practice my lesson of the week.

Step two is a hack developed by thinking expert Edward de Bono.

To force creativity back into one’s mind, he recommends thinking about a problem or solution from three perspectives: Pluses, Minuses and what’s Interesting. He refers to it as the PMI strategy.

The Hack: Consider the Pluses, Minuses and what’s Interesting.

Pluses and Minuses are straight forward and use our deductive reasoning skills. These operate well under pressure as they are linked to our fight or flight response.

Considering what’s interesting about a problem or proposed solution, forces our minds to think of connections, details and observations, not judgements – which requires creativity. 

Writing these down alongside the Pluses and Minuses allows our minds to wander and think of what else might work. It’s even better when you invite someone else to share what they find interesting about the problem to spark further ideas.

When a team uses this approach, creativity unfreezes and will start to flow back like a river flooding from rapidly melting snow caps.  

We are all smart people, often working under time pressure and at times can feel overwhelmed by what we have to do.

Finding a cue and using the PMI hack can allow creativity back into your thinking when under stress and open the door to finding better solutions to problems that matter. 

If you enjoyed this article, please share it with a friend or colleague.

For less than a minutes investment you could help change the course of someones life for the better.