Problem solving

Making decisions and solving problems: these are two areas where it definitely pays to think clearly and effectively, to make the best use of our knowledge, to consider our values, to exercise our imagination. Has your usual approach to decision making and problem solving been working as well as it should? If not, you might want to ask yourself some different questions.

If you’re faced with a fairly straightforward problem or decision, and you’re having trouble sorting through your options and coming up with a course of action, try asking yourself some of this week's questions, which let you look at the problem from many different angles.

What are the obvious alternatives available to you?

If you were forced to make a snap decision in the next five seconds, which of those would you pick?

With each alternative, what's the worst thing that could happen?

This week's theme is problem solving.