How writing can help you solve problems
Have you ever started an email to someone explaining a problem that you don’t know the solution to, only to realize that by the time you finish the email, you have come up with a solution?
Simply writing out a problem where the explanation is as simple as possible (so someone else can understand it), we are clarifying in our mind precisely what the problem is. You likely don’t understand if you can’t explain the situation to someone else.
Understanding the problem is only the first part. Now, we try to come up with a solution. Often, there are multiple solutions. So, we start listing some potential solutions and thinking through the pros and cons of each solution.
As we write out the potential options to solve the problem, we often eliminate specific options based on what we know about the situation. Perhaps it is a budget issue or an infrastructure limitation. The more we can document (digital or analog), the more likely we are to come up with the best options.
As a Software Architect, this happens to me all the time. I’ve incorporated this into my workflow. When I need to deal with a problem, even if I think I understand it, I write it out in the most straightforward explanation possible. Then, each option will have pros and cons, and I’ll usually have a recommendation of which option I think would work best or is most reasonable within the current circumstances.
After going through this process, I’ve often solved the problem and realized the best solution we can implement immediately. Clients appreciate being informed of a problem and knowing it’s already been taken care of. There is also the added benefit of having everything documented.
I’ll write on paper when struggling with something I can’t wrap my head around. This slows me down so I can think as I go. When writing on a computer, it’s easy to spit out words that don’t have as much meaning. On the flip side, a computer makes deleting and reorganizing ideas easier.
Writing out our problems is not only for technical issues; it can work for anything. This is why Journaling is so beneficial.
Writing is thinking.