How to Solve Almost Any Problem

Chapter 5

Puzzle, headache, plan, dream: four types of problem

Let’s recap what we’ve learnt so far about our skills as problem-solvers. Armed with your knowledge and new skills, you can begin to look at different types of problem, using a systematic method.

Problem-solving: the story so far

Here are the main points we’ve covered thus far in the book.

Having a problem means being stuck

You know you’ve got a problem when you want to do something, but you don’t know what to do.

Most problem-solving is intuitive

We match information from our experience to mental patterns, either inherited or learned. The pattern-match tells us what to do.

When intuitive problem-solving breaks down, problem-solving becomes a task with two stages

We notice ...