Problem Solving Worksheet
When a real problem needs to be gradually translated into workable solutions.
Translate a real problem into solution steps, options and next actions.
When does this fit?
If problem solving should be structured specifically in writing instead of just remaining visible as a general skill space.
Priority in the path
This node fits early in the path when anger or irritation or strong emotional activation are in the foreground.
What this is about
The most critical step in this worksheet is the first one: accurately describing the actual problem, not a judgment about it. People often define the problem as another person's character ('She is unreliable') rather than as the specific situation ('She has been late to three planned meetings'). Without a precise problem definition, the solutions generated will aim at the wrong target. The worksheet is most useful when it is completed before a decision, not after — brainstorming solutions on paper almost always produces better options than deciding in emotion mind.
Step by step
Work through the steps at your own pace. For written exercises, you can use paper or a notebook.
- Describe the specific problem and check the facts. Revise the description if your assumptions are inaccurate.
- Choose a simple, achievable goal: what needs to change?
- Generate several solutions without evaluating them at first.
- Compare their advantages and disadvantages and choose a promising solution.
- Put it into action one step at a time.
- Evaluate the result. If it did not work, choose another solution and try again.
Explore and apply
These nodes are the next meaningful continuation when you want to move on from the current concept.
Sources and references
Show where this node comes from and how source-near or practice-near it is.