7 Best Ways to Improve Your Problem-solving Skills

Updated: Aug 30, 2021
By Fatima Sheikh
9 Amazing Northern Nigerian Books to Read

9 Amazing Northern Nigerian Books to Read

Literature in northern Nigeria dates back to the 1900s, though, not wildly popular, a number of quite amazing works were published back then. Over the decades, northern Nigerian literature has shown immense improvements in style, genre, and a wide range of topics, but...

Improve Social Skills: 7 Most Important Social Skills

Improve Social Skills: 7 Most Important Social Skills

We use social skills to communicate and interact with others effectively. But most importantly, these skills are essential for our personal and professional development. In business and entrepreneurship, professionals must have a good set of social skills to build and...

The Top 10 Entries from the Mediahooch Creative Writing Challenge

The Top 10 Entries from the Mediahooch Creative Writing Challenge

The winners have finally emerged in a creative writing challenge organized by Mediahooch. The contest, which was planned in partnership with Northpad Nigeria and Poetic Wednesdays Initiative, who served as the judges, received over 50 entries from 31st December to...

5 Amazing Stress Management Techniques You Should Definitely Try Out

5 Amazing Stress Management Techniques You Should Definitely Try Out

Stress management skills are highly needed in our everyday lives because the body isn't robotics in nature that has no feelings. There is a limit to what the body can do without burning out physically, chemically, mentally, or emotionally. The burnout period is termed...

Tags:

If you want to go far in life, develop problem-solving skills. Communication skills are essential to help you achieve your goals but having problem-solving skills will always come in handy. One thing I have learned in life is, problems never end therefore we need the skills and expertise on how to handle them because we are going to encounter them.

Problem-solving might sound technical and seem like a complicated skill to acquire, but with consistency and practice, you will master it. From the first stage of identifying a problem to finally getting a solution to the problem, an effective problem-solving technique is a tool that can make both your professional and personal life easier.   

What are Problem-solving Skills?

These are simply a set of strategies and methodologies to help you identify a source of a problem and also find the best effective solution to the problem. 

How to Improve Problem-solving Skills

1. Take Notes

Form the habit of note-taking. Pen down your thoughts, observations, and ideas. As simple as this might sound, this habit helps you recognize patterns from past observations. 

A problem solver is very critical about the pattern and occurrence of an event, their constant journaling helps you sharpen your problem-solving skills. 

Additionally, the habit of writing things down rather than simply thinking about this is a power that needs to be exercised.

2. Improve Your Mindset

A problem solver should be open-minded and willing to view both problems and solutions from different perspectives. Your view and approach are very important to solve a problem; your mindset has a great impact on the outcome of the problem if you believe there is a solution and vice versa.

3. Have Mentors and Role Models

Having mentors or a guide especially in the aspect of career and personal skills development can goal a long way in simplifying your growth journey.

When enhancing your Problem-solving skill, having a mentor comes in handy to guide you on patterns, methodologies, and knowledge learning sources. 

4. Improve on Your Decisions Making

Decision-making is a skill in itself and also a problem-solving strategy when you can make choices. 

“Life is a chess match. Every decision that you make has a consequence to it”

P.K. Subban 

I cannot stress enough the importance of having decision-making expertise to help you solve problems. You might be a leader in your team or faced with a decision making 

5. Take Risks

Risk-taking is literarily the shortcut to being an expert in every field. You can only improve your problem-solving skills when you take risks and try out new strategies and solutions. Try out new things until you have overcome the fear of failure.

Make mistakes, but most especially learn from your mistakes.

6. Ask Lots of Questions

Make it a habit of asking solution-based questions to help you solve problems. Asking questions will serve as a guide and direction to finding a solution. Efficient communication is established by asking the right questions. Perfectly asking meaningful questions, ask and frame questions in a solution-oriented manner.

The how and what challenges you to find solutions and expand your thinking by going beyond what we already or normally believe is true.

7. Recieve Feedback

How do you know you are making progress on a task at hand? Ask for feedback. You might be working individually or as a team, asking for honest feedback will go a long way in shaping your problem-solving skills.

These opinions will guide you on improving your weaknesses and remaining consistent with your strengths. 

Conclusion

From identifying a problem to establishing a solution, problems solving skills are skills every individual must possess. No matter how smart you think you can run away from problems, they will always find you.

So build your problem-solving skill and stand out. Read materials, make research, get a mentor, and most importantly make mistakes.

What else do you think will help improve your problem solving skills? Tell me in the comments box.

Popular Reads

Everything on JUMIA

0 Comments

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Top Communication Interview Questions and Answers - Job Finder - […] of the skills employers are looking for include; communication skills, teamwork, critical thinking, problem-solving, leadership, flexibility, and professionalism. Make…

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Whats new?
How to Easily Turn Your Passion Into a Career

How to Easily Turn Your Passion Into a Career

I need you to look within and search for that one thing you could do a thousand times without getting bored or tired. Yes, each time you engage in that one activity, it seems as though a magical force drives you. Surprisingly, that force is called passion! But, have...

5 Things You Should do at The Beginning of Every Month

5 Things You Should do at The Beginning of Every Month

The start of every month can be likened to a fresh start. And as with all fresh opportunities, there are things to do at the start of every month that should help increase your productivity. Keeping an organized monthly schedule is the key to building a productive...

25 Compliments that Have Nothing to do With Appearance

25 Compliments that Have Nothing to do With Appearance

We all love compliments. I, for sure, know I do! But, lately, I have realized that most of the compliments people receive focus on their appearance. What if I told you that there are many compliments that have nothing to do with appearance or physical look? I see I...

How to Become Your Own Boss without Money

How to Become Your Own Boss without Money

Every human being that has ever lived has had or would have had the potential of owning their life, not just because of riches, but because of the inner wealth within. The world we live in today is so focused on making money and more money that we fail to realize that...

10 Ways to Get People to Like You

10 Ways to Get People to Like You

There are various ways how to get people to like you, especially if you are not the outspoken or people-person type. The truth is, that people are naturally drawn to others with likable characters or characters they wish to emulate. Fun game, make a list of your...

What You Should Do If Someone Threatens to Leak Your Nudes

What You Should Do If Someone Threatens to Leak Your Nudes

Photos of someone who is fully or partially naked are known as nudes. Things can go wrong after you've shared photographs with someone you trust. The person to whom you sent them may threaten to post these images of you online out of rage or for another reason, or...

8 Amazing Ways That will Help You Become the Perfect Mentor

8 Amazing Ways That will Help You Become the Perfect Mentor

When the word “mentoring” is mentioned, what usually comes to our mind is the picture of people in suits giving speaking to a gathering of people, and giving advice. What if I told you, that everyone is and can be a mentor to someone? In this article, I’d be showing...

7 Easy Guides to Stop Being Disorganized

7 Easy Guides to Stop Being Disorganized

Everyone wants to achieve their goals, live their dreams, and be perfect in every way, forgetting that you can’t accomplish all these things if you aren’t organized and have a plan. Knowing how to stop being disorganized should be on everybody's bucket list. You...

Successful People Have These 10 Daily Habits. You Should Too.

Successful People Have These 10 Daily Habits. You Should Too.

Habit is a behavioral pattern that is regularly repetitive. A habit might initially be triggered by a goal but, after some time the goal becomes less necessary and the habit becomes automatic. Making a habit of something takes commitment and diligence. Successful...

7 Tested Ways That will Teach How to Handle Criticisms Better

7 Tested Ways That will Teach How to Handle Criticisms Better

Knowing how to handle criticisms better is a valuable skill necessary for thriving in the workplace and society at large. We are humans and imperfections are a part of our DNA. We do not have the chance to always be perfect at what we do, hence, those who can see our...

Explore more

You May Also Like…

How To Control Your Emotions

How To Control Your Emotions

Learning how to control your emotions is an essential skill that can be learned.  Emotions are various forms of feelings, positive or negative, that results in physical or...