How to identify and avoid playing a losing game.
When was the last time you laid in bed at night, staring at the ceiling, with a thousand and one thoughts whirling through your head? Things that need to be done, tasks that were not completed, regrets about the day, and the big chief, problems that appear to have no (obvious) solution. It would be incredibly cliche to quote some motivational blurb and say that a "problem is an opportunity" or that a "problem is a solution in hiding." The truth is, no motivational quote will suddenly rally you, or your perturbed 2AM thoughts, to a revolutionary solution you had not yet considered. We will be discussing 2 strategies that you can implement to abolish these-Llate night brainstorm sessions that often do little more that provide endless anxiety.
The 1983 movie WarGames provides a great starting point for the mentality that we must adopt for the first strategy to be effective. In the climatic finale, WOPR, the supercomputer, states that the concept of a nuclear war is "a strange game", in which "the only winning move is not to play." [I would offer a spoiler warning, but the movie is 36 years old, I think I am safe!] It is from this that we draw our title, and the fundamental idea behind the first strategy: do not play an unwinnable game. How easy it is to get caught up inside our heads, battling a scenario or problem back and forth, and making no new ground. It is this exact scenario, be it at 2AM lying in bed, or 2PM in the office, that we must avoid falling into. There is a great deal of strength in a genuine brainstorm to try and solve a problem, but much like WOPR, once we have run all the (so-to-speak) simulations, if the answer has not presented itself, you must learn to take a step back. Effort applied pointlessly for the sake of feeling like you have tried, is a dangerous fallacy. Too often is the notion of an unbreakable spirit, that persevered through hell and back like a glorified Hollywood movie hero, commonplace attitude in the work place. The best in business know that "neither will alone, nor strength alone will be enough" (Lacus Clyne) to accomplish their goals and solve problems. It takes a dedicated and directed effort to solve the plethora of business problems that anyone encounters; mindlessly bashing your head into a problem will not solve it.
Not playing the unwinnable game does not mean to surrender at first sign of adversity or problem. It is the active mindset to recognize when you are no longer making progress on devising a solution. When you reach that point - be it immediately after an initial brainstorming of solutions, or after several implemented changes - take a step back and examine the process you are using. "A dilemma," to quote Michael J. Bickert, "is a symptom of an improper paradigm." Therefore, if you find yourself amid an unwinnable game, stop playing. Stop trying to solve the problem, and examine the premises you have laid out; why is this problem a problem? A thorough examination of what tenets of the problem actually comprise the overarching problem allows for finding what part of your perception of the problem is flawed. Fixing that opens new possibilities and solutions that were not evident at first glance. Every problem has a solution, but it is important to know why a problem has been labeled as such if we are to try and solve it.
Analyzing an issue, brainstorming what implemented strategies resolve it, or even trying to deduce what our premises are all require significant mental capacity. Remember, just as brute 'effort' in an unwinnable situation will not prevail, neither will substandard effort. Strategy two, then, is to ensure that we are always problem-solving in optimal conditions. Doing so sounds more difficult than it is, as obtaining 'optimal' conditions can be tricky in the best of circumstances. Compartmentalizing your active time on, and off, of a problem then, is the key. Dedicating a set amount of time towards solving a problem serves a few purposes. Firstly, it sets the time aside to actually work on said problem. Too often, in our busy lives, if something does not have a specified time slot that has been carved out for that purpose, it will fall by the wayside. Dedicating time to active problem-solving forces a period in which you must confront and try to solve the issue at hand. Without dedicating this time, it is easy to rationalize not solving the problem, or letting it persist. Businesses rarely die from a catastrophic event; it is much more likely that the business fails from being overrun by a thousand little problems that have been left or ignored. The death of a thousand cuts, as it is called, is far slower, more painful, and preventable than most issues businesses face.
A dedicated time for facing and solving business-related issues serves a second purpose as well. To reach those aforementioned optimal conditions, your brain itself must be functioning at its peak. Stressing it to a breaking point, by not allowing it any reprieve, inhibits the ability to think clearly and with novelty. With a specific window that you are focused entirely on a given problem, you can mentally allow yourself to relax outside of that window. Even in the face of not finding a solution in a first or second dedicated session, knowing that you are actively working hard (and smart) on it, and that you will have a specific time to challenge the problem again should remove any of the 2AM bed brainstorms. Letting yourself compartmentalize the problem-solving from the rest of your day-to-day leads to more acute focus on the task at hand and a sense of accomplishment (though not necessarily completion) at making headway into a solution. This sense of accomplishment is the fuel that you can use to stave off intrusive thoughts and worries after hours, as you know in your heart that you have done what you can for that day, and earned your time off. Sleeping better, reducing the anxiety, and knowing that if you continue to work at the problem in your dedicated time slot, will all lend themselves to being at optimal conditions when you are actively trying to solve the problem. Be 100% on task when you are on task, but separate that out from your time off, and be 100% off task when you are off task.
By implementing and utilizing these two strategies, many insurmountable problems quickly become those "a-ha!" moments that we all strive for. Do not get discouraged at slow progress, as slow progress is infinitely better than no progress. Set and compartmentalize your problem-solving time so it does not bleed into other tasks and result in sub-optimal work, or stress outside work. And lastly, learn to recognize when you are bashing your head against the proverbial wall, that sometimes, "the only winning move" is to not play the particular game you are currently playing. Sit back, examine the rules and your assumptions, and learn to spot the flaw in your paradigm.