Think about what your world looks like right now with your problem unsolved. Now… Think about what your world looks like if you’re problem was solved. There’s a gap between these two worlds. That gap and the consequences of that gap is your problem. See also My problem-solving checklist
Improving your ability to solve problems improves your whole life. Try this checklist when you come across a tough problem. Define the problem. Is this a problem you’ve solved before? Is this a problem others have solved before? Can you enlist others to solve your problem? Can you break down the problem into solvable chunks? Can you compare your world to a world where the problem doesn’t exist? Can you find the root cause of your problem? Can you try out a solution to see what happens? Can you think outside the box? Can you prove the problem cannot be solved? Can you brute force all dimensions of the problem? See also Explore vs. exploit in multi-armed bandits
A great question about achieving goals came up on Hacker News: I have been thinking about various problems. Problems like how to get that girl I want, how to make more money, who is it that I want to be, etc. Well my mind just isn’t capable of solving these problems. So what do I do? I try to expand my mind by reading and talking to people. But it’s still my own mind progressing at a snails pace. Progressing so slowly that things will not change unless I find some other way. ...