Problem Archives - Scott's Thinking

The Problem With Perfect

Posted on October 7, 2024

Perfect is a nice dream but an unwittingly deceptive goal. Dreaming of how things could be created or adjusted helps to inspire improvements and move society forward.

However, pressing for 100% perfection can be a fools errand and create more harm than good.

Trying to reduce the number of criminals in prison down to zero is a nice idea, but not very realistic. Solving the root cause of criminal behaviour will be better than trying to rehabilitate offenders. But even if that were successful, you’ll still likely have a few people that end up on the wrong side of societal norms and laws.

Trying to get to zero criminals ever again, Zero racists, zero traffic accidents, zero exam failures, zero bullying, etc is a wonderful idea. Perfection!

But let’s be pragmatic. We can do a lot of great things with 97% good. And we should celebrate this incredible percentage and learn to deal with the 1%-3% in other ways, as positively as possible.

Action Progress Think About It

How Big Is The Problem You’re Solving?

Posted on September 11, 2022

Is it washing the dishes or just making it through the day? Do you want to have a job or maybe a longer term career? Would you like to solve climate, world hunger, global peace, space exploration or poverty?

Note how many hours per day you are actively progressing on your big problem. Are the daily “to do’s” getting in the way? How long have you kept telling yourself you’re doing something when you’re only thinking of doing it?

Stop telling people what should change and start making those changes happen. Don’t give yourself an easy ride filled with reasons and excuses and, “you don’t know how hard it is” comments.

Get uncomfortable. Mix things up. Make 10 phone calls. Make this happen.

Stop living small when you’re dreaming big. Take baby steps and then break into a run as soon as you can. Become Unstoppable. You too can change the world. Make it a problem worth committing to. Now go do it.

Observe Progress Reframe your thoughts

That Is The problem!

Posted on January 10, 2021

Or is it? I am sure it could be a problem but maybe not the one. It may just be the one you perceive. From your perspective. That is the problem!

You know many, though not all problems. And many, though not all solutions. However, you have selected one to focus on and declare that that is the key to it all. But maybe it isn’t.

Notice when you use generalisations and definite, or all-encompassing, statements or words. It is too easy to make broad, general statements. So be careful when you are speaking, to not do that.

Even specialists will have a limit on their expertise. They may know a lot more, and in greater detail, than most other people. However, they probably don’t know all the exhaustive problems and options or solutions.

Be curious when you are looking at the options you think you have. You may find options you didn’t even know you had. Consult friends and family to see what they can shed some light on. This is important. If you get this assessment wrong, you hurt your chances of success.

The worst point is, that if you diagnose the situation wrong, you could be solving for the wrong problem. Then the solution will be resolving a problem that may not exist.

That is the problem!

Observe Think About It

They Are The Problem

Posted on September 15, 2020

That’s right. We know exactly who is ruining everything. When things go wrong, we can confidently say that they are the problem.

The media know it. You know it. People seem to reference them all the time.

We, of course, are not the problem. This is because we know better, we are more aware and we tell everyone so they can improve their lives. We are the solution. It is a simple solution in this complex world. Broad generalisations always avoid schisms.

If only they could see things the way we see things. They would then do things differently. Obviously differently means better. And not just a fraction better. It would mean doing things significantly better.

We know our way is practically perfect. In fact, everything should work as we prescribe. If only they would listen.

In addition to not clearly understanding the issues or the gravity of many situations, they are prone to hyperbole and embellishment. This doesn’t help. They seem to be swayed by others.

Clarifying the actual point is another problem. It’s a bit like whack-a-mole. We make our point clearly and succinctly. They then misunderstand and reply with a tangential point. They then miss the original point and confuse the second one.

We know they are the problem. When will they realise it?

Gratitude Observe Progress

When Is A Problem Solved?

Posted on July 7, 2020

There are often different solutions to problems. And some problems have had tremendous progress. But when is a problem solved?

If I have a cut on my arm, I usually consider the initial problem solved once it stops bleeding. Usually I consider the whole problem resolved when any scab is gone and the area looks similar to how it was. If there is a little mark or scar that reminds me of the problem, that is fine. It’s not ideal but it is fine.

Some problems are more difficult to conclude that they are resolved. For example, there has been a very recent case of bubonic plague in Asia. It was once a highly feared and deadly disease. Now it can be controlled more easily. Is it a crisis? Is it a problem? At what point would you have unanimous opinion that it is no longer a problem?

We can look at homelessness, illiteracy and poverty in a similar way. Is there a measure whereby you would have unanimous agreement that these challenges were no longer a problem?

People build organisations and associations to tackle a problem. Usually this is a good way to deal with an issue. Unions would be a good example. Union membership is well down from 60 years ago though. Is there a point in the future that they will no longer be useful? Perhaps sufficient legislation will be in place or the culture will be sufficiently different to make unions irrelevant.

If that were to become the case, what would happen to the dwindling union organisations? When would they say that their job was done and it was time to close up shop?

When solving a problem, remember to be clear about the metric that determines that the job is done.