March 18, 2024

Dear Reader,

How do you journal to problem solve?

I used to think journaling was something I needed to do when I needed answers to questions I didn't know how to answer. Who am I? What is my purpose? What are my strengths? How can I be more effective? What's the best way to do X? What has the greatest impact on Y? I thought maybe putting my disoriented thoughts on paper would help me find patterns I couldn't connect in my head. And almost every time, it would lead me nowhere. If anything, it would only leave me more frustrated and confused. But I don't ask myself these types of questions anymore.

Today, I mostly journal to think about my approach to solving problems. I reflect to discover more specific and targeted questions rather than trying to find the solution itself. For example, take the question, "How can I be more effective?" It's been my experience that it is extremely difficult to reflect on questions like these and come up with any actionable ideas that could spark real change in productivity. Why? It's simply too vague. It's like trying to jump from the first step to the thousandth step without even knowing the direction you need to go.

Instead, if I were to reflect on my effectiveness, I would brainstorm a group of questions that would help me discover more effective practices rather than trying to figure out the most effective practice in one sitting. It would look something like this: Why is it important to be more effective right now? What would happen if I didn't change at all? Are there more important things I can focus on? What is the outcome that I'm hoping to create? What ways do I already know that will create the desired outcome? How can I explore and discover new ways to create the outcome? What metrics can I use to measure my effectiveness? Is there a way to test the correlation between my metrics and my effectiveness? What does the metric need to show for me to accurately analyze and evaluate my performance? How or where can I collect the data required to record this metric? Are there any factors outside of my control that influence this metric? Are there any ways I can minimize or remove these factors?

Which set of questions would you rather reflect on? Know that general questions only lead to general answers. If you want specific and actionable answers, practice thinking of specific and actionable questions. Life isn't a class we need to pass. There is rarely a "correct" answer. It seems to me that things are the way they are and they can be improved. Learn to embrace the journey of finding better and better answers. Learn to ask better questions. That's how progress happens.

Chris X