How to Turn Vague Problems Into Clear Targets

Sometimes, solving problems feels like shooting arrows at a target.

Hitting the bullseye means you've solved it.

In most cases, you might need to hit the bullseye repeatedly until the problem disappears for good, but that's all you need to do.

Hitting the bullseye is hard, but identifying the correct target can be even harder.

Without the right target, you either shoot your arrows randomly or not at all, meaning you won't solve your problems unless you get lucky and hit by chance.

It sounds crazy to consciously choose this approach for problem-solving.

But, it’s how most people try to solve their problems.

They never take the time or invest the effort to articulate their problems clearly, so they just shoot arrows in random directions hoping to solve their problems.

How I Used to “Solve” My Problems

It seems crazy now, but I used to do it, too.

When I discovered a problem, I did one of 4 things:

• I avoided it
• I blamed it on somebody else
• I denied it
• I tried to solve it

What I didn't do was try to understand it deeply before trying to solve it.

Somehow, I assumed I’d accurately identified a problem just by becoming aware of it. So I made it my target and shot my arrows.

Of course, this rarely worked.

I either had a correct hunch about the problem but left it too vague, or I had identified the wrong problem and shot arrows at ghosts.

The Frustration of Failure

Unsurprisingly, this meant that I couldn't solve my problems.

Sure, sometimes I got lucky and articulated my problem well enough to hit the bullseye after a few days or weeks. But, more often than not, I didn't and failed to solve my problems.

As a result, I felt extremely frustrated, exhausted, and angry. I started to ask myself the same questions repeatedly:

"Why the hell does it seem like I can't solve this problem, even though I'm breaking myself in half trying to do so?"

"Why did my great plan for solving it fail so miserably?"

"Why am I even trying anymore?"

It's easy to see how my frustration quickly spiraled, leading me to give up on the problem. Then, I reverted to my other 3 strategies mentioned above: Avoidance, blame, and denial.

This didn't solve the problem, but it helped justify my failures and let me keep my dignity intact.

What to do Instead

So, what can you takeaway from my failure?

Before solving your problem, clearly articulate it.

Identify a clear target. Then make it even clearer. Double and triple check if you have the right one.

This most likely only takes a few more minutes than jumping straight into action, but will save you hundreds of hours trying to solve it.

When you clearly articulate your problem, you set up your target well.

When you set up your target well, it's much easier to shoot at it.

You're more likely to hit the bullseye when it's easier to shoot at it.

On the contrary, if you don't have a clear target or leave it too vague to hit and won't hit its bullseye. And you won't learn much from shooting at it either.

Yet, most people skip spending adequate time understanding and clearly articulating their problem. Instead they jump straight into action with a vaguely promising solution and fail miserably as a result.

Most People Don’t Do This!

You can easily see this playing out in the world. Just look around.

How many people do you know who become aware of a problem and instead of taking some time to understand it deeply, immediately jump into action with a half-baked plan or no plan at all?

How many people buy courses, books, and workshops hoping to solve a problem, only to discover hours later and a lot of money poorer, that they targeted the wrong problem?

How often do your friends vent their frustration about their unsolved problems, yet remain stuck in the same demotivating loop for years?

Not articulating your problems clearly is an invisible scourge of our times.

A Word of Caution

But, don't be fooled.

The lesson isn't to define every problem you have clearly and elaborately. That's wasteful in a similar vein to never doing it.

The lesson is to clearly articulate the problems worth solving.

The mastery is knowing which problems are worth spending time to on to define clearly and which you can just eyeball and solve immediately.

For small problems you can fix in a few minutes, don't fill a journal page with a description. Think for a minute and experiment with a potential solution. That's enough.

But, if this approach didn't work, it could mean your initial idea of the problem was wrong. Then you should stop and consider a better one. This is when you break out your journal and write about the problem to understand it more deeply.

What You Should Do Next

So, here's what I recommend in practical terms:

Spend some time becoming aware of a problem in your life.

If it’s a small problem, think for a minute until you find a potential solution. Then experiment with it and see if it works.

If it's a bigger problem, put it on the Problem Scale and see where you're at.

If it’s a high-priority problem, stop. Don’t start to do something about it immediately.

Instead, sit with the problem for a few minutes.

Think about it. Write about it. Talk with friends or a coach about it.

Articulate it as clearly as possible.

THEN experiment with potential solutions to solve it.

By spending that little bit of extra time articulating your problem clearly, you’ll find that you paint a huge target on its back.

From there, it’s only a matter of time until you hit it.