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Problem solving

Worrying is a natural response to life's problems. But when it takes over and we can start to feel overwhelmed, it can really help to take a step back and break things down.

Learning new ways to work through your problems can make them feel more manageable, and improve your mental and physical wellbeing.

Video: Problem solving

The tips in this video can help you to find strategies and solutions for tackling the problems that can be solved, and learning how to manage and cope with those that cannot.

Steps and strategies to help you solve problems

1. focus on your values.

Feeling like you have lots of problems to solve in different areas of your life can make it difficult to know how and where to start.

A great way to focus is to write down a few areas of your life that are most important to you right now – for example, a relationship, finances or a long-term goal like studying or developing your career.

This can make it easier to prioritise which problems to tackle.

2. Tackle problems with possible solutions first

It's important to work out if your problem can be solved or is a "hypothetical worry" – things that are out of your control even though you might think about them often.

They might be based on something that happened in the past that cannot be changed or a worry about the future that starts with "what if…".

Ask yourself whether a problem can be dealt with by doing something practical. If the answer is no, it's a hypothetical worry.

Make a list of your problems, and work out which are solvable and which are hypothetical.

3. Set aside time to work through solvable problems

Set aside 5 or 10 minutes to think about possible solutions for one of your solvable problems.

Try to be as open-minded as you can, even if some ideas feel silly. Thinking broadly and creatively is often when the best solutions come to mind.

It may feel difficult at first but, over time, this approach can start to feel easier.

Once you have some ideas, think through or write down:

• the pros and cons of each solution
• whether it's likely to work
• if you have everything you need to try it

4. Make a plan

The next step is to choose a solution you want to try and make a plan for putting it into action. Try to be specific:

• What are you going to do?
• Do you need the support of anybody else?
• How much time do you need?
• When will you do it?

5. Try 'worry time'

Not all of our problems can be solved right away, but it can be difficult to switch off and stop ourselves from dwelling on them.

Using the "worry time" technique to stick to a short set time – say 10 to 15 minutes in the evening – for worrying can make this much easier to manage.

You can learn more about the worry time technique on tackling your worries .

6. Find time to relax

Worrying about our problems can make it harder to relax, but there are lots of things you can try to help you clear your mind and feel calmer.

The most important thing is to find what works for you. It might be getting active, spending time on an existing hobby or trying a new one, or techniques like mindfulness, meditation or our progressive muscle relaxation exercise.

Video: Progressive muscle relaxation

This video will guide you through an exercise to help you recognise when you're starting to get tense, and relax your body and mind.

7. Review and reflect

Once you start trying new approaches to solving and managing problems, consider setting aside time to review what went well with your solutions or anything else you noticed.

Make notes of the problems you face and any strategies you use to overcome them. This can come in handy later on and also be a good reminder of what works best for you.

Ticking off on a checklist any problems you manage to solve is a great way to recognise your achievements and boost your confidence.

8. Give journaling a go

Sometimes getting our thoughts out of our head – and down onto paper, our phones or anything else – is a great way to stop our worries and "what ifs" from spiralling out of control.

Expressing ourselves in this way can also make it easier to spot when our thoughts are unhelpful and we may benefit from a more balanced outlook. Give it a go to see if this works for you.

More self-help CBT techniques you can try

Bouncing back from life's challenges.

Taking steps to stay on top of your mental wellbeing and build resilience can really help you deal with problems when times are tougher. Learn more, and see tips and techniques you can use.

Tackling your worries

Facing your fears

Staying on top of things

Find more ideas to try in self-help CBT techniques

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Skills and competencies

Problem solving: the mark of an independent employee.

Abigail Lewis

24 Aug 2023, 08:40

Problem-solving abilities are essential in virtually any graduate role you can think of. Discover how to develop your problem-solving skills and demonstrate them to eagle-eyed recruiters.

Interviewers will be interested to discover how you'd approach problems that could arise in the workplace.

Problem solving is all about using logic, as well as imagination, to make sense of a situation and come up with an intelligent solution. In fact, the best problem solvers actively anticipate potential future problems and act to prevent them or to mitigate their effects.

Problem-solving abilities are connected to a number of other skills, including:

• analytical skills
• innovative and creative thinking
• a lateral mindset
• adaptability and flexibility
• level-headedness
• resilience (in order to reassess when your first idea doesn’t work)
• teamworking (if problem solving is a team effort)
• influencing skills (to get colleagues, clients and bosses to adopt your solutions).

Identifying a problem is often the kernel for a new business or product idea – and, as such, problem solving is an essential ingredient of entrepreneurialism . It is also a key component of good leadership .

Short on time? Watch our one-minute guide to problem solving

• how to answer problem-solving interview questions
• how to think of examples of your problem-solving skills
• a problem-solving technique you can use in any work or life situation.

Our targetjobs careers expert gives you a quick guide to showing off your problem-solving skills in a job interview.

Why all graduates require problem-solving skills in the workplace

Some graduate careers revolve around finding solutions – for example, engineering , management consulting , scientific research and technology . Graduates in other careers, meanwhile, will be expected to solve problems that crop up in the course of their jobs: for example, trainee managers should deal with operational problems (such as delays in the supply chain) or resolve conflict between team members.

In fact, the ability to solve problems is an essential part of any employee’s skill set, even if it isn’t specified on the job description.

Get the insights and skills you need to shape your career journey with Pathways. Learn and practise a selection of simple yet effective reasoning strategies to take your problem solving to the next level.

How will employers assess your problem-solving skills?

Your problem-solving abilities can be assessed in three ways: by asking for examples of times when you previously solved a problem; by presenting you with certain hypothetical situations and asking how you would respond to them; and by seeing how you apply your problem-solving skills to different tests and exercises.

Competency-based application and interview questions about problem solving

You may be asked for an example of when you solved a problem on an application form – for instance, an engineering firm’s application form has previously included the question ‘Please tell us about a time when you have used your technical skills and knowledge to solve a problem’. But these questions are more likely at interview. Typical problem-solving competency-based questions include:

• Give me an example of a time when you ran into a problem on a project. What did you do?
• Give me an example of a difficult problem you had to solve outside of your course. How did you approach it?
• Tell me about a time you worked through a problem as a team.
• Have you ever had a disagreement with a team member? How was it resolved?
• Give me an example of a time when you spotted a potential problem and took steps to stop it becoming one.
• Give me an example of a time when you handled a major crisis.
• Give me an example of your lateral thinking.

Hypothetical interview questions about problem solving

Interviewers will also be interested to know how you would approach problems that could arise when you are in the workplace. The precise interview questions will vary according to the job, but common ones include:

• How would you deal with conflict in the workplace? (This is especially likely to be asked of trainee managers and graduate HR professionals.)
• What would you do if there is an unexpected delay to one of your projects because of supply chain issues? (This is particularly likely to be asked in construction, logistics or retail interviews).
• What would you do if a client or customer raised a complaint?
• What would you do if you noticed that a colleague was struggling with their work?
• How would you react if given negative feedback by a manager on an aspect of your performance?
• How would you judge whether you should use your own initiative on a task or ask for help?

Problem-solving exercises and tests for graduate jobs

Different tests that employers could set to gauge your problem-solving skills include:

• Online aptitude, psychometric and ability tests . These are normally taken as part of the application stage, although they may be repeated at an assessment centre. The tests that are most likely to assess your problem-solving skills are situational judgement tests and any that assess your reasoning, such as inductive reasoning or diagrammatic reasoning tests.
• Video ‘immersive experiences’ , game-based recruitment exercises or virtual reality assessments. Not all of these methods are widely used yet but they are becoming more common. They are usually the recruitment stage before a face-to-face interview or assessment centre.
• Case study exercises. These are common assessment centre tasks. You’d be set a business problem, typically related to the sector in which you’d be working, and asked to make recommendations for solving it, either individually or in groups. You’ll also usually be asked to outline your recommendations in either a presentation or in written form , a task that assesses your ability to explain your problem-solving approach.
• In-tray (or e-tray) exercises. These always used to be set at an assessment centre but nowadays can also be part of the online testing stage. In-tray exercises primarily test your time management skills, but also assess your ability to identify a potential problem and take actions to solve it.
• Job-specific or task-specific exercises, given at an assessment centre or at an interview. If set, these will be related to the role you are applying for and will either require you to devise a solution to a problem or to spot errors. Civil and structural engineering candidates , for example, will often be required to sketch a design in answer to a client’s brief and answer questions on it, while candidates for editorial roles may be asked to proofread copy or spot errors in page proofs (fully designed pages about to be published).

How to develop and demonstrate your problem-solving skills

Here are some tips on how to develop the problem-solving techniques employers look for.

Seek out opportunities to gain problem-solving examples

Dealing with any of the following situations will help you gain problem-solving skills, perhaps without even realising it:

• Sorting out a technical problem with your phone, device or computer.
• Resolving a dispute with a tricky landlord in order to get your deposit back.
• Carrying out DIY.
• Serving a demanding customer or resolving a complaint.
• Finding a way round a funding shortfall in order to pay for travel or a gap year.
• Turning around the finances or increasing the membership of a struggling student society.
• Organising a student society’s trip overseas, overcoming unforeseen difficulties on the way.
• Acting as a course rep or as a mentor for other students.

There should also be opportunities for you to develop problem-solving skills through your studies. Many assignments in subjects such as engineering and computer science are explicitly based around solving a problem in a way that, for example, essay topics in English literature aren’t. But, then, English literature students may also encounter academic problems, such as difficulties in tracking down the best source material.

Some professional bodies (for example, those in construction) run competitions for students, which often ask students to suggest solutions for problems facing the industry; entering these can provide good evidence of your problem-solving skills.

Games such as Sudoku and chess can also strengthen your ability to think strategically and creatively.

Practise recruitment exercises beforehand

Any candidate, no matter how high-flying, may be thrown by undertaking an online test or attending an assessment centre for the first time, so do everything you can to practise beforehand. Access our links to free and paid-for practice tests. Contact your careers service and book in for a mock-interview or mock-assessment centre.

Keep in mind this problem-solving technique

If you’re provided with a scenario or a case study during the graduate recruitment process, you could try using the IDEAL model, described by Bransford and Stein in their book Ideal Problem Solver . It breaks down what you need to do to solve a problem into stages:

• Identify the issue
• Define the obstacles
• Examine your options
• Act on an agreed course of action
• Look at how it turns out, and whether any changes need to be made.

Give detail in your answers

You will need to explain how you identified the problem, came up with a solution and implemented it. Quantifiable results are good, and obviously the more complex the situation, the more impressive a successful result is. Follow the STAR technique outlined in our article on competency-based interview questions .

If you tackled a problem as part of a team, explain how your role was important in ensuring the positive solution, but also explain how your group worked together. This could be an opportunity to promote your teamworking skills as well.

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This describes editorially independent and impartial content, which has been written and edited by the targetjobs content team. Any external contributors featuring in the article are in line with our non-advertorial policy, by which we mean that we do not promote one organisation over another.

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Everybody can benefit from having good problem solving skills as we all encounter problems on a daily basis. Some of these problems are obviously more severe or complex than others.

It would be wonderful to have the ability to solve all problems efficiently and in a timely fashion without difficulty, unfortunately though there is no one way in which all problems can be solved.

You will discover, as you read through our pages on problem solving, that the subject is complex.

However well prepared we are for problem solving, there is always an element of the unknown. Although planning and structuring will help make the problem solving process more likely to be successful, good judgement and an element of good luck will ultimately determine whether problem solving was a success.

Interpersonal relationships fail and businesses fail because of poor problem solving.

This is often due to either problems not being recognised or being recognised but not being dealt with appropriately.

Problem solving skills are highly sought after by employers as many companies rely on their employees to identify and solve problems.

A lot of the work in problem solving involves understanding what the underlying issues of the problem really are - not the symptoms. Dealing with a customer complaint may be seen as a problem that needs to be solved, and it's almost certainly a good idea to do so. The employee dealing with the complaint should be asking what has caused the customer to complain in the first place, if the cause of the complaint can be eliminated then the problem is solved.

In order to be effective at problem solving you are likely to need some other key skills, which include:

Creativity. Problems are usually solved either intuitively or systematically. Intuition is used when no new knowledge is needed - you know enough to be able to make a quick decision and solve the problem, or you use common sense or experience to solve the problem. More complex problems or problems that you have not experienced before will likely require a more systematic and logical approach to solve, and for these you will need to use creative thinking. See our page on Creative Thinking for more information.

Researching Skills. Defining and solving problems often requires you to do some research: this may be a simple Google search or a more rigorous research project. See our Research Methods section for ideas on how to conduct effective research.

Team Working. Many problems are best defined and solved with the input of other people. Team working may sound like a 'work thing' but it is just as important at home and school as well as in the workplace. See our Team-Working page for more.

Emotional Intelligence. It is worth considering the impact that a problem and/or its solution has on you and other people. Emotional intelligence, the ability to recognise the emotions of yourself and others, will help guide you to an appropriate solution. See our Emotional Intelligence pages for more.

Risk Management. Solving a problem involves a certain amount of risk - this risk needs to be weighed up against not solving the problem. You may find our Risk Management page useful.

Decision Making . Problem solving and decision making are closely related skills, and making a decision is an important part of the problem solving process as you will often be faced with various options and alternatives. See Decision Making for more.

The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year.

John Foster Dulles, Former US Secretary of State.

What is a Problem?

The Concise Oxford Dictionary (1995) defines a problem as:

“ A doubtful or difficult matter requiring a solution ”

“ Something hard to understand or accomplish or deal with.”

It is worth also considering our own view of what a problem is.

We are constantly exposed to opportunities in life, at work, at school and at home. However many opportunities are missed or not taken full advantage of. Often we are unsure how to take advantage of an opportunity and create barriers - reasons why we can't take advantage. These barriers can turn a potentially positive situation into a negative one, a problem.

Are we missing the 'big problem'? It is human nature to notice and focus on small, easy to solve problems but much harder to work on the big problems that may be causing some of the smaller ones.

It's useful to consider the following questions when faced with a problem.

Is the problem real or perceived?

Is this problem really an opportunity?

Does the problem need solving?

All problems have two features in common: goals and barriers.

Problems involve setting out to achieve some objective or desired state of affairs and can include avoiding a situation or event.

Goals can be anything that you wish to achieve, or where you want to be. If you are hungry then your goal is probably to eat something. If you are the head of an organisation (CEO), then your main goal may be to maximise profits and this main goal may need to be split into numerous sub-goals in order to fulfil the ultimate aim of increasing profits.

If there were no barriers in the way of achieving a goal, then there would be no problem. Problem solving involves overcoming the barriers or obstacles that prevent the immediate achievement of goals.

Following our examples above, if you feel hungry then your goal is to eat. A barrier to this may be that you have no food available - so you take a trip to the supermarket and buy some food, removing the barrier and thus solving the problem. Of course for the CEO wanting to increase profits there may be many more barriers preventing the goal from being reached. The CEO needs to attempt to recognise these barriers and remove them or find other ways to achieve the goals of the organisation.

Our problem solving pages provide a simple and structured approach to problem solving.

The approach referred to is generally designed for problem solving in an organisation or group context, but can also be easily adapted to work at an individual level at home or in education.

Trying to solve a complex problem alone however can be a mistake. The old adage " A problem shared is a problem halved " is sound advice.

Talking to others about problems is not only therapeutic but can help you see things from a different point of view, opening up more potential solutions.

Stages of Problem Solving

Effective problem solving usually involves working through a number of steps or stages, such as those outlined below.

Problem Identification:

This stage involves: detecting and recognising that there is a problem; identifying the nature of the problem; defining the problem.

The first phase of problem solving may sound obvious but often requires more thought and analysis. Identifying a problem can be a difficult task in itself. Is there a problem at all? What is the nature of the problem, are there in fact numerous problems? How can the problem be best defined? By spending some time defining the problem you will not only understand it more clearly yourself but be able to communicate its nature to others, which leads to the second phase.

Structuring the Problem:

This stage involves: a period of observation, careful inspection, fact-finding and developing a clear picture of the problem.

Following on from problem identification, structuring the problem is all about gaining more information about the problem and increasing understanding. This phase is all about fact finding and analysis, building a more comprehensive picture of both the goal(s) and the barrier(s). This stage may not be necessary for very simple problems but is essential for problems of a more complex nature.

Looking for Possible Solutions:

During this stage you will generate a range of possible courses of action, but with little attempt to evaluate them at this stage.

From the information gathered in the first two phases of the problem solving framework it is now time to start thinking about possible solutions to the identified problem. In a group situation this stage is often carried out as a brain-storming session, letting each person in the group express their views on possible solutions (or part solutions). In organisations different people will have different expertise in different areas and it is useful, therefore, to hear the views of each concerned party.

Making a Decision:

This stage involves careful analysis of the different possible courses of action and then selecting the best solution for implementation.

This is perhaps the most complex part of the problem solving process. Following on from the previous step it is now time to look at each potential solution and carefully analyse it. Some solutions may not be possible, due to other problems like time constraints or budgets. It is important at this stage to also consider what might happen if nothing was done to solve the problem - sometimes trying to solve a problem that leads to many more problems requires some very creative thinking and innovative ideas.

Finally, make a decision on which course of action to take - decision making is an important skill in itself and we recommend that you see our pages on decision making .

Implementation:

This stage involves accepting and carrying out the chosen course of action.

Implementation means acting on the chosen solution. During implementation more problems may arise especially if identification or structuring of the original problem was not carried out fully.

Monitoring/Seeking Feedback:

The last stage is about reviewing the outcomes of problem solving over a period of time, including seeking feedback as to the success of the outcomes of the chosen solution.

The final stage of problem solving is concerned with checking that the process was successful. This can be achieved by monitoring and gaining feedback from people affected by any changes that occurred. It is good practice to keep a record of outcomes and any additional problems that occurred.

Continue to: Identifying and Structuring Problems Social Problem Solving

See also: Project Management Risk Management Effective Decision Making

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The Problem Solving Company offers maths workshops for both Primary and Secondary Schools throughout the UK. Our National Curriculum based workshops are a great way to improve the image of maths in your school. Using large resources enables maximum participation for the groups and helps encourage communication and team skills.

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Our mobile Team Building Days delivered in schools are the perfect solution to providing your students with a developmental, exciting and fun day. The Problem Solving Company offer a variety of different programs for both Primary and Secondary Schools ranging from short workshops to full activity days

Suited to both small and large groups of students, our activity programmes are created to differentiate between age ranges, allowing the students to get the most from their experience.

Eliminating expensive transport costs, reams of paperwork, and the need to leave the school grounds makes The Problem Solving Companies School Team Building Days are a very popular choice.

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This very popular activity sees students code breaking, solving riddles and puzzles. With a myriad of compartments and padlocks our Escape Boxes engage even the most reluctant of students

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What are Problem Solving Skills?

Problem solving is an important life and work skill.

In work and in life, problems can crop up. Even if you don’t know how to fix the problem at first, you can think about how the problem happened in the first place. Then you can keep calm and use logic to find some good solutions.

This logical way of looking at things with a clear head is called problem solving. It can be a great way to solve problems without heartache, from dealing with school or college gossip to figuring out next steps if an important parcel didn’t get delivered to work.

Why Is Problem Solving Important?

Life will always have problems to overcome, from figuring out why your phone isn’t working to dealing with a tricky customer at work.

Employers want to know how you deal with problems, because they want you to see a problem as a challenge that can be overcome if you deal with it in a logical way.

How to boost your problem solving…

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Building your problem solving skills as a student, we all get problems at school and beyond..

Are you faced with a problem in homework or even an exam? Have you been asked to put together an argument for an essay or debate?

Even if you don’t know the answer, read the problem several times to make sure you understand all the information being given you. If you’re at home you can research, but in an exam situation try to think about it logically: What are you being asked? How would you go about coming up with a logical solution? If you come with more than one solution, which do you think is the best one and why? If you still don’t know the answer, move onto the next problem and come back and try again with a fresh head.

Many of the problems you face at school can be approached with the five key life skills including motivation, self belief, self management and team working. If the problem involves people, your communication skills will come in handy, too.

With any general problem you come across in life, consider:

• Will it help to prepare in advance or in an organised frame of mind?
• Will it help if you approach the problem as a pair or group instead of dealing with it alone?
• How can you stay motivated to tackle the problem and see it through with a positive attitude?
• Can you approach the problem logically, letting your head rule your heart? (It is easier to find solutions this way).

Building Your Problem Solving Skills At Work

Whenever a problem comes up in work, use this 5-step process to see if you can fix it:

• Describe the problem and set a ‘problem statement’.
• Analyse what is right and what is wrong in the current situation.
• Identify the likely causes of the problem.
• Identify the most probable cause and test this out.
• Take action to address the problem.

You’ve probably found solutions to problems in the past, as well as taking pride in your work, so try to think about what went well and what didn’t. You can use the STARRS method to do this.

Building problem solving skills at work (and in general life) will help you to:

• Evaluate situations and information and break them down into manageable chunks
• See problems in a new light, as possible solutions not impossible challenges
• Build your decision-making skills as you make decisions based on information and logic not pure gut feeling
• Discover strengths and skills in yourself that you might never have known about yourself before
• Learn and grow over time with each problem you’ve overcome
• Show employers that you are practical, creative, flexible and can be relied upon.

How Can You Build Your Problem Solving Skills In Everyday Life?

Take on problems you enjoy

If you like video games, board games or ‘mind’ games like Sudoku you will find these often have problems that need to be approached in a logical way, with strategic planning and trial and error.

Remember that problems can be physical as well as mental

Do you like working with your hands? Car maintenance, DIY and crafting are just some examples of physical work that involves solving problems.

How To Show Your Problem Solving Skills To Employers

Creating a good cv and cover letter.

Many of the grades you studied for, work experience you’ve done and even extra-curricular activities you’ve enjoyed have all had problems you had to think about logically in order to find a solution.

Find an example of a problem you solved for each experience you’ve put on your CV.

For each problem, ask yourself how you:

I dentified the problem

D efined the problem, e xamined the options, a cted on a plan, l ooked at the consequences.

This is known as the IDEAL method! You don’t need to talk about this on your CV or cover letter, but it will help prepare you for job interviews.

Job interviews

Employers will always be interested to hear how you’ve tackled problems in the past and could ask you to name an example of a problem you solved or overcame in your job interview.

Give them an example from your past school, work or life experience using the IDEAL method.

• Problem solving tips for interviews
• Problem solving tips for assessment centres

See all problem solving tips

Problem solving is a life skill you can grow over time.

In life you will get lots of chances to approach problems in a cool, calm and collected way, both inside and outside of work/study.

If you don’t think you do an extra-curricular activity that involves problem solving, add a new hobby to your list where solving problems is a part of what’s involved.

Search for “problem solving skills test” online. You will find lots of online quizzes where you can test yourself on how you solve problems, and discover ways in which you could improve.

Activity: Test Your Problem Solving

See if you can think about the questions below. It’s useful to you to come up with examplesfrom your own life and work experience.

• Why are problem solving skills important to an employer?
• How could you develop your problem solving skills? Give an example.
• How can you demonstrate good communication skills? Give an example.
• How could you demonstrate your problem solving skills to a prospective employer in a job interview? Give an example.

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Creativity, Problem Solving and Design Thinking

Boost your creative skills and creative confidence with a structured approach to idea generation, exploration and development.

This course equals 48 hours of CPD time

8 hours per week

Tutor guided

Certificate of Achievement

Evidence your learning with a Certificate of Achievement from the University of Cambridge on successful completion.

07 October 2024

18 November 2024

30 September 2024

Discover more about this course from the expert(s) behind it

Course overview

Creative problem solving is increasingly recognised as the most sought-after skill in business. This is true across a wide range of industries, and across both private and public sectors. Entrepreneurs, employees, managers, and leaders are all required to find valuable opportunities, generate and develop new ideas and then trial and implement innovative solutions. These processes can be modelled on design activities, where key stakeholders are identified and designed for through processes of research, ideation and prototyping. This is all equally applicable to the development of strategies, products, processes and a variety of socio-technical systems.

This course will help you to learn about the role of creativity in problem solving, and the application of design thinking to different business tasks. You will discover the characteristics of difficult problems, the thinking skills that are used to address them and the various biases that need to be overcome. Through the course content and activities, you will recognise and develop your creative skills, gaining confidence in them and in your capacity to develop them further. This applies not just to individual work, but also to group work, where diverse perspectives and skills can be leveraged.

The course offers an excellent opportunity for professional development, whether you are looking to advance in your current role or change roles or sectors. Through the course, you will apply a structured process to identifying problems and generating wide-ranging solution ideas before selecting and developing one (or more) for communication and implementation. You will have the opportunity to practice these skills in various course-specific scenarios, and also to a project that is relevant to your own professional context. The course is highly interactive, and you will be encouraged, through individual and collaborative work, to apply and manage a selection of evidence-based creative approaches.

This course is certified by the United Kingdom CPD Certification Service, and may be applicable to individuals who are members of, or are associated with, UK-based professional bodies. The course has an estimated 48 hours of learning.

Note: should you wish to claim CPD activity, the onus is upon you. Cambridge Advance Online accept no responsibility, and cannot be held responsible, for the claiming or validation of hours or points.

What will I learn?

By the end of the course, you will have a broad understanding of the application of creative approaches, processes and tools, including how to:

• articulate the components of creative work, and the skills (and biases) that are involved
• apply creative processes and tools yourself
• manage the application of creative processes and tools by others
• develop confidence in your creative skills, and in your ability to improve those skills
• represent your own creative skills and experiences, and elicit those of others.

Who is this course for?

• Those interested in improving how they think and act creatively, moving past learned behaviour to reach new and effective solutions.
• Professionals working in business development, transformation, or strategy who are seeking a structured and innovative approach to solving problems.
• Individuals facing novel problems in the workplace, who need to challenge conventions to develop original solutions and pitch these to stakeholders.

Course delivery

Our certificated courses reflect the Cambridge experience and values, with low student to tutor ratios and academically rigorous standards. Our learning model is designed to help you advance your skills and specialise in emerging areas that address global challenges. We will help you build your network through an engaging and impactful learning journey that encourages collaboration. Courses are delivered in weekly modules, allowing you to plan your time effectively. The assessment criteria will be presented to you at the start of the course, so you can approach your studies with confidence and motivation, knowing what is expected of you and how to meet those expectations. 

Throughout your online learning experience, you will have access to your course tutor, who will help facilitate your learning and provide you with support and guidance during your studies. You can interact with your tutor through a range of media, such as live sessions, discussion forums, email or canvas messaging. 

Each course includes a balance of:

• interactive learning and real-world application so you can directly apply what you’re learning to your own context
• diverse teaching methods to enhance learning outcomes which will be delivered via learning activities such as University of Cambridge academic led videos, quizzes and group work
• optional live sessions (1 hour) with University of Cambridge academics and tutors to deepen your understanding of the week's material. These sessions may include an informal Q&A, a short lecture or a breakout activity that builds on the content introduced that week. All sessions are recorded and made available to stream so you can catch up whenever suits you
• guided critical thinking via our reflective workbook so you can collect, structure and summarise information and your thoughts as you progress through the course. 

What will I get on completion?

University of cambridge course lead.

Professor Nathan Crilly

Course dates.

07 Oct - 18 Nov

Places available

Enrol by 30 Sep

Requirements

Level of knowledge.

• a level of spoken and written English sufficient to allow you to participate and succeed in the course (we recommend that you have an English Language level equivalent to an IELTS score of 7, as outlined in section 5 of our  Terms of Purchase (Opens in a new window) )

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• sufficient internet speed and stability for video streaming (2 Mbps up/down)
• please see our recommendations on web browsers (Opens in a new window)

Related content

A q&a with the course leader of creativity, problem-solving and design thinking.

Problem solve like a pro

What our learners are saying

Professor Crilly is truly world-class. His videos were informative and concise, and he was present, warm and engaging for all the live sessions. He made himself exceptionally available for questions and support and I couldn't be more grateful for his instruction.

The delivery of this course has been spectacular in content, presentation and delivery…I have no hesitation recommending it to anyone interested in the subject.

As well as an overall understanding of creative, problem-solving and design thinking processes, the course has provided very well-constructed opportunities to consolidate knowledge and understanding about those processes in practice, alongside other course members.

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Problem solving

Problem solving lesson plan

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Problem Solving: Lesson plan

Problem solving: Presentation slides

Demonstrating your skills quick fire activity

Problem solving in practice: Interactive worksheet

Our problem solving content focuses on one of these skills and develops understanding of the six stages of problem solving, as well as identifying different types of situations in which young people might already be using these skills. Furthermore, it encourages them to use an adaptive approach, explaining that different types of problems can be approached in different ways.

The activities on this page support your teaching of these skills through an independent activity, quick activities or a full length, curriculum-linked lesson plan. 

Teaching resources:

• Problem solving: Lesson plan and presentation slides – full lesson plan including icebreaker for use with a group of students in the classroom
• Demonstrating your skills: Quick-fire activity  – 10 minute activity for a group of students in the classroom, can be used as an icebreaker for the lesson plan
• Problem solving in practice: Interactive worksheet – activity for independent learning whether remote or in class

Lesson plan

(60 -75 minutes)

This lesson is designed to equip young people with an adaptable approach to solving problems, large or small. It includes a short film and scenarios that encourage development of practical problem solving skills which can be useful for learning, day to day life, and when in employment.

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify problems of different scales and what is needed to solve them
• Illustrate the use of an adaptable approach to solving problems
• Understand that problem solving is a core transferable skill and identify its usefulness in a work setting
• Work on a problem solving activity in a team

The lesson aims to reinforce students’ understanding of the potential future applications of this skill as they move into the world of work, particularly in an activity differentiated for an older or more able group on creating new opportunities.

Quick-fire activity

(5 - 10 minutes)

The demonstrating your skills quick-fire activity focuses on helping young people understand the key skills that are needed in the workplace, including the importance of problem solving.

Students will be asked to name the skills being demonstrated in a variety of scenarios, and identify ways they’re already using those skills in this short activity.

You might find it useful as a starter or icebreaker activity to begin a lesson, or at the end to allow students to put what they have just learnt in the Problem solving lesson into practice.

Interactive worksheet

(20 - 25 minutes)

Please note that students below the age of 14 cannot sign up for their own LifeSkills account. Any independent tasks must be printed or downloaded and provided digitally for them to complete as they are currently hosted on educator pages.

The Problem solving in practice interactive worksheet introduces some of the themes from the full lesson plan and gives students some practical strategies for problem solving, including introducing the six stages of problem solving. The worksheet can be printed or completed digitally, so can be used flexibly to give students practise putting their problem solving skills into action. You might choose to assign it:

• As homework following the Problem solving lesson
• For independent study
• For remote learning

Looking for more ways to boost self confidence with LifeSkills?

Other lessons that may prove useful for students to build on these activities include the  Adaptability  and  Innovation and idea generation  lessons. Alternatively, consider encouraging them to apply their skills through  Steps to starting a business  or the  Social action toolkit .

Why not build problem solving in as a focus in your students’ wider curriculum? Refer to our  Content guide to find out how this resources can be used as part of your teaching.

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7 Steps to Improve Your Problem Solving Skills

Our lives are full of problems. And the biggest problem is finding an effective solution to any problem. Seems funny, right? But it’s true. Every day, from your personal to professional life, you have to deal with different kinds of problems, and it’s not unnatural that sometimes you struggle to solve them. Though in the end, you find a solution, it takes too much effort and time. Don’t you think it would be better if you could find the solution in the first place? That’s where problem-solving skills would help you a way out. 

Problem-solving skills are vital to have in professional life. Many issues arise in the workplace and giving a quick touch up on them is an unwritten duty for you. In a professional setting, it doesn’t matter that much what solution you find to a problem. Rather it matters how you find that solution and how much time it takes. In this case, another skill which is Problem Solving Skills  merges up with problem-solving skills. Both are important for your regular duties in the workplace and your job growth, especially when you’re in a leadership or management position. f

7 Key Steps to Improve Your Problem Solving Skills

However, everyone is by born a problem solver. But the thing that counts is how efficiently the problem is being solved. That’s why you should nurture problem-solving skills to become an ultimate problem solver. In this article, you’re going to explore seven effective steps that will help you improve your problem-solving skills. So, without further ado, let’s dig deeper.

Step 1: Define The Problem

The first thing that comes when solving a problem is identifying and defining the problem. Without knowing the problem, you can’t move further. So, have a clear understanding of the problem for which you’re going to find a solution. Define the problem and make it precise. Since you won’t be working alone, describe the context, and make sure it is understandable by others who are involved in the decision-making process. However, different people have different perspectives on what a problem is, and you should keep it in your mind. 

If the problem involves software development or coding challenges, don’t hesitate to get coding help to ensure you’re on the right track and can communicate solutions effectively.

Step 2: Analyse The Problem

The second step to solving a problem is analysing the problem. It helps you understand the nature of the problem and find the possible ways out. Develop some creative problem-solving questions in this stage, such as why it is a problem, why it is required to solve it, how to find the solution, what barriers and opportunities lie within the problem, what effect it will cause if the problem isn’t resolved, etc. 

Develop these questions and assign answers to them. In the end, you’ll find a clear picture of the whole situation. This will help you prepare your strategy to solve the problem. 

Step 3: Develop Potential Solutions

Once you’re done with analysing the problem, you have to look for potential solutions to the problem. Note that I said solutions, not a solution. It’s essential to come up with multiple viable solutions to a problem. Because you don’t know yet what outcomes the action is going to bring about. That’s why you should have alternatives in all possible ways to solve the problem so that you can compare them and pick the best one. 

In this regard, you have to set a standard with which you will compare the expected outcomes of the potential solutions. However, don’t use the standard to judge the solutions, instead, use it only for coming up with ideas. 

Step 4: Evaluate The Options

After listing down the potential solutions to the problem, your next task is to analyse and evaluate the options. This will help you determine the most effective and suitable solution to the problem. Now it comes how to evaluate the options. Do it almost in the same way you’ve analysed the problem before. This means asking some questions and comparing the answers for different options. So, the creative problem-solving questions that you’ll make to evaluate the problem may look like the followings:

• Is the solution easily achievable?
• How much effort and resources it will take?
• Does it fit the organizational processes and cultures?
• What are the pros and cons of the solution?
• What is the possible outcome of this solution?
• Is it well suited to the time and budget?

Prepare the answers for each of the options and compare them. Then eliminate those which don’t pass the criteria and tailor the list for further action.

Step 5: Select The Best Option

After evaluating all the possible solutions and tailoring the list, you have a concise list of solutions to the problem. Now you have to choose the best solution among these options. Select the solution that is best fitted to the organizational cultures and goals, and meets all the criteria that you set for evaluating the options. In this case, your experience, courage, and decision-making skills will help you to determine the option.  

However, you may consult your peers as it would give you different insights into the situation. After selecting the best-suited solution, make the necessary documentation, and submit to the authority for approval.

Step 6: Implement The Solution

You’ve selected the solution to the problem and got it approved by the higher authority. Now it’s time to go for action and showcase your problem-solving skills. So, at first, you have to prepare a detailed work plan putting all the necessary things into it. You have to ensure that every one of your team understands the plan and what are their responsibilities to make the plan fruitful. So, you should communicate well with everyone involved in the plan. 

Also, your plan should include actions to be taken if something goes wrong or doesn’t go just like as you thought it would. This is important to make a concrete plan. After setting the plan, arrange everything you require and put your solution into action, and wait for the results. 

Step 7: Measure The Results

Your duty isn’t finished with the implementation of your solution. You have to keep track to measure the results and make sure the plan is performing well to solve the problem. Great leaders always keep follow-ups and proper documentation of their actions. It’s helpful in their future challenges and acts as a guideline for their successors. Moreover, it will help you show a scalable and notable outcome of your plan to the authority. 

Now it’s time to wrap up. Following these seven simple steps will strengthen your problem-solving skills and make you an efficient problem solver in your organization. However, problem-solving is a vast topic, and there are even more things to explore about it which aren’t possible to include in a single article. If you want to explore more and develop your problem-solving skills, it will be better to take training on this. 

But how can you attend formal training when you’ve lots of duties to do? In this case, you can consider taking online training where you can learn anytime from anywhere, and most importantly, without juggling your regular schedule. To help you in this regard, Training Express is offering an online course on problem-solving skills where you’ll be learning from experts. So what are you waiting for? Have a look at this. 

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Problem Solving Workbook

Problem Solving has six steps. It is important to work through one step at a time, only move on to the next step of Problem Solving once you are comfortable with using the previous step. It is key to follow all six steps of Problem Solving in sequence.

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Problem Solving

Identify the Problem.

Break it down into smaller steps and decide what you need to action first.

Brainstorm and write down as many ideas as you can that might help solve the problem, no matter how silly they seem - don't dismiss any possible solutions.

Consider the pros and cons of each possible solution, using a separate piece of paper.

Choose one of the possible solutions that looks likely to work, based on the advantages and disadvantages.

Plan out step-by-step what you need to do to carry out this solution. What? When? How? With whom or what? What could cause problems? How can you get around those problems? Is this realistic and achievable?

Do it! Carry out the plan

Review how it went. Was it helpful? Did you achieve what you set out to achieve? If not, how could you have done it differently? Did you achieve any progress, however small, towards your goal? What have you learned?

If you achieved your goal - consider tackling the next step of your original problem. If you didn't fully achieve your goal - make adjustments to your chosen solution, or return to steps 3 and 4 and choose another possible solution. 

Problem Solving Worksheet     PDF

You could also use the FACE acronym for problem solving - print the   Face Problem Solving Worksheet PDF  and have alongside you when watching the video.   See the  FACE Webpage , or watch the video, or use the

Face Problem Solving Worksheet    PDF

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‘AI means maths problem-solving skills are more important than ever’

Cambridge bolsters classroom learning with new 'Problem-Solving Schools' initiative

By Stephen Bevan Published: 16th November 2023

Credit: Phil Boorman

Mathematicians at the University of Cambridge are supporting UK schools to help prioritise problem solving in maths – a key skill that is likely to become ever more critical with the rise of automation and artificial intelligence.

The new Problem-Solving Schools initiative, developed by the University’s Faculty of Mathematics, aims to create ‘a movement of problem-solving schools’ by providing free learning resources and teacher training to refocus attention on the skill.  Along with fluency and reasoning, problem solving has been central to the National Curriculum for maths since it was introduced in 2014, but often does not receive the same amount of attention in the classroom.

In the summer, Ofsted published new guidance encouraging schools to focus more consistently on teaching problem solving, and emphasised the importance of teaching skills that “equip [pupils] for the next stage of education, work and life”.

Dr Ems Lord, Director of NRICH , which provides thousands of free online mathematics resources for ages three to 18, and is launching Problem-Solving Schools, said: “It's fair to say that many schools feel increasingly confident supporting fluency and reasoning skills, and there’s a lot of support out there. What’s been missing is the problem-solving aspect, and that’s been repeatedly picked up by Ofsted. It’s not being prioritised, often because of a lack of training for teachers and a lack of access to sufficient, high-quality resources to support it.

Dr Ems Lord at the University's Maths Faculty. Credit: Nathan Pitt

“Some schools are not covering it as well as others, so it means we’re in this very patchy landscape and at the same time we have AI coming in, with everyone thinking about how that will impact future roles and careers. And it’s looking increasingly likely that students who are good problem solvers, and have good teamwork skills, are the ones who are going to thrive.”

Although AI is developing rapidly, Dr Lord says at present problem solving isn’t one of its strong points. And business analysts believe that in the future jobs which computers cannot perform ­– that require uniquely human skills such as critical thinking ­– will become more significant and those with these skills will be in even more demand.

“I can put our problems into an AI system, some it can solve, some it gives ridiculous answers to. But how would someone know which is which unless they know how to solve the problem themselves – or even know what question to ask to get the answer they’re after?

“Problem-solving is not about memorising facts, it’s about being confronted with something for the first time and thinking, ‘Right, how do I use my skills to approach this?’ And these are transferrable skills, for all aspects of life, which will help children in the future, not just at work but also socially. We want our young people to have the curiosity and confidence to question things, so if they come across some data or a graph in the media, or wherever, they have the experience and skills to know what a good graph looks like, and they can analyse it for themselves.

“It’s such an important area that we have to get right, and at the moment we’re not doing it. The whole point of learning maths is to be able to solve problems.”

Dr Lord says the Problem-Solving Schools initiative aims to help embed the skill in classrooms by providing themed resources and webinar training on how to best use them – to support teachers who might be lacking in confidence themselves, or are unsure how to refocus how they teach the Curriculum.

The webinar series will also include tips on engaging parents with maths so they can help support their children in the subject. In a recent study , NRICH’s Solving Together project, which offers family-friendly homework activities, was found to significantly increase parental involvement in the subject.

'Problem-solving is not about memorising facts, it’s about being confronted with something for the first time and thinking, ‘Right, how do I use my skills to approach this?'

- Dr Ems Lord, Director of NRICH

Pupils using NRICH maths resources. Credit: University of Cambridge

In addition, a Charter for schools to sign up to is also being introduced. It puts problem solving at the heart of maths learning, from the commitment of the school’s leadership team, to values in the classroom – where good problem-solving behaviour is encouraged, and where it’s ok to make mistakes – to how activities can be widened out to the local community.

The NRICH team has developed the programme in consultation with schools, and has actively sought the views of colleagues in the Department for Education, and the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics – the Government’s maths body set up to improve mathematics teaching in England.

“Many of the resources given to teachers up to this point have focused on fluency, and if a teacher isn’t mathematically trained they tend to revert to where they feel safe, how they were taught,” says Dr Lord. “We need to break the mould on that, we need to make sure there are good resources available for problem-solving learning, and free training, so it isn’t a case of ‘we should be doing this’, but, ‘why wouldn’t we be doing this?’

“We’ve created a complete, wraparound package. We’re looking for schools across the country to sign up to the Charter, create a movement of problem-solving schools and change the agenda.”

Professor Bhaskar Vira, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education at the University of Cambridge, said: “Problem-Solving Schools is an exciting initiative that builds on the University’s work to support schools around the country through outreach and learning. NRICH’s high quality resources will help maths teachers embed problem solving in the classroom, as part of Cambridge’s mission to contribute to society through education, learning and research, and equip pupils with this key skill for the future.”

As part of the Problem-Solving Schools launch, NRICH is developing its resources, which have been supporting learners since the outreach programme’s launch 25 years ago , and recently made a huge contribution to the national effort during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Between March and September 2020, nrich.maths.org registered a 95% increase in UK visits compared to the previous year. In the 2020–21 school year alone, the site attracted just under 33 million page views. In spring 2020, the UK Government highlighted NRICH resources to schools and the team contributed to the BBC’s heavily used Bitesize maths resources.

And as the team launches its newest initiative, it continues to support post-pandemic catch-up work, by helping fill gaps in knowledge and focusing on students’ attitude to maths.

“It’s not just about doing the maths, it’s about enjoying it and finding it worthwhile – understanding the applications,” says Dr Lord. “If our materials are just about covering subject knowledge it’s really hard for student to enjoy what they’re doing.

“It’s a bit like having never seen Messi score a goal. If all you’ve done is go to football practice, where the coach puts down markers and tells you to dribble through them for an hour, and you come back the next week and do exactly the same thing, you kind of wonder why you’re doing it.

“But if you go to football practice and then switch on the TV and see a Messi wonder goal – it’s like ‘Aah – that’s what it’s all about!’ And I sometimes think that’s what’s missing when we talk about maths – the sheer moments of awe and wonder that you can have, and that feeling when you solve a problem which is absolutely fantastic!”

Credit: University of Cambridge

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

Problem solving self-help guide

Work through a self-help guide for problem solving based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

Navigate self-help guide

1. introduction, 2. identifying problems, 3. types of problem - activity 1, 4. recognising there's a problem, 5. barriers to problem-solving, 6. activity 2 – writing your problem list, 7. activity 3 - focusing on one problem, 8. activity 4 - pros and cons, 9. choosing a solution, 10. plan your chosen solution - activity 5, 11. how did it go, 12. next steps.

Section 1 of 12

Urgent help

This self-help guide is intended for people with mild-to-moderate mental health issues.

If you're feeling distressed, in a state of despair, suicidal or in need of emotional support you can phone NHS 24 on 111.

For an emergency ambulance phone 999.

This self-help guide is intended for people with mild-to-moderate symptoms of depression.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by problems, particularly if you’re experiencing mental health difficulties. This guide:

• provides step-by-step advice on how to solve problems
• gives you a set of skills to help manage problems in the future

This guide is based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT helps you to examine how you think about your life, and challenge negative automatic thoughts to free yourself from unhelpful thought and behaviour patterns.

How to use the problem solving self-help guide

Working through this guide can take around 30 to 40 minutes, but you should feel free to work at your own pace.

Work through the guide on your device, using the “Next” button to move forward and use the “Previous” button instead of the Back button in your browser. To type in a graphic or diary, click or tap the part you’d like to fill in and use your keyboard as usual.

If you’d like to save the guide and return to it later, you’ll need to save it as a PDF on your device before you leave the page. You can then continue filling it out on the PDF. We don’t use a login feature on our mental health self-help guides for privacy reasons.

If you’d like to print the guide at any time, you’ll find an option to save and print the whole guide, including the parts you have added, in each section.

Section 2 of 12

When you solve a problem, it increases your confidence and makes you feel more able to solve problems in future. When you feel overwhelmed, it’s easy to forget that you already have the ability to solve problems – it’s how you’ve coped with life so far. This guide is designed to help you tap into that ability and boost your confidence.

Finding the hidden problem

Sometimes you can’t tell what the problem that’s affecting you most actually is – you might feel stuck and unable to think of anything that would help.

Here are 2 examples of hidden problems:

Work was becoming stressful for Paul after a new computer system was put in place. He’d been confident at work before, but was now finding it hard to get out of bed to go into the office. All his colleagues seemed to be managing fine, but Paul was making lots of mistakes. When his boss asked how he was doing, Paul felt like he had to say he was fine, as he was worried about being sacked. At home, his girlfriend had noticed a change in his mood – he wasn’t keen to go out or do anything they used to enjoy.

Mandy was a single parent. She looked after her sister’s child as well as her own 12-year-old daughter, Lizzie. She also cared for her elderly mum, who was unwell. Mandy found it difficult to find time for herself, and always felt like her house was a mess and cleaning was never done. She found herself becoming irritable, especially when people asked her to do things or asked her what was wrong. Mandy was angry that no one seemed to understand how busy she was.

From these examples, you may be able to see how sometimes problems can become overwhelming and hard to identify, while at other times you can see them clearly. In this guide you’ll continue to work on identifying your own problems, and work out a series of steps to solve them.

Section 3 of 12

There are a large number of different types of problem. Have a look at this list and see which type – or types – your problem could be.

• relationships – for example, difficulties getting along with your partner/spouse, falling out of touch with friends, or feeling alone and isolated
• money – for example, struggling to manage bills or afford different expenses, increasing debts,  or feeling pressure to spend money you can’t afford
• lifestyle issues – for example, drinking too much alcohol, not eating healthily, not having time for your interests, or not having time to keep in touch with friends and loved ones
• work/education – for example, trouble doing well at work or meeting deadlines
• addiction issues – for example alcohol, drugs, or gambling
• managing health – for example, organising GP and dentist appointments, or getting enough exercise
• illness or disability – for example, dealing with a chronic illness or having a disability
• family responsibilities – for example, being there for family commitments, organising childcare, helping with lots of requests from family, or being a carer

Use the boxes below to type any problems you might experience that fall under these categories.

Section 4 of 12

Paul’s girlfriend helped him talk about his job more. He explained that he hated his job because he couldn’t get used to the new computer system and was always worried about making a mistake. Paul told her he felt like he had to stay late at work to avoid falling behind, and that meant he was too tired to go out when he got home.

Paul recognised he was so unhappy at work because he was terrified he’d make a mistake with the new computer system. He also recognised that trying to cope by staying late at work was causing another problem – he was too tired to do the things he enjoyed when he got home. This was making him more unhappy.

Mandy didn’t want to let anyone know how she was feeling, but one Saturday her sister asked if Mandy could drop her child off at a birthday party for her. Mandy lost her temper, and was shocked by how angry and upset she felt. Once she calmed down, she decided it was time to sit down and think about what was really going on.

Mandy recognised that all the different tasks she had to do for other people, and all the demands on her time, were making her feel frustrated and irritable. They were also making it hard to fit everything in. Mandy recognised that she found it hard to say no to other people. This left her feeling angry when she ended up with very little time to do her own tasks, or take time for herself to do things she enjoyed.

Think about your own situation. You’ve reached a point where you need to take action, which is why you’re completing this guide. Where do you think would be a good place to start?

Section 5 of 12

Sometimes it feels like it’s impossible to even start solving your problems, but that’s not the case. Here are some common challenges.

Avoiding the problem

Paul had been avoiding bringing up the difficulties he was having with his girlfriend or his boss, because he didn’t want anyone to criticise him or think he wasn’t good enough at his job. This meant his boss didn’t know what the problem was when he noticed Paul taking longer with his tasks, and he didn’t know how to help. It also meant Paul’s girlfriend didn’t know why he wasn’t interested in activities in the evening anymore.

Mandy had been avoiding thinking about her problems, as she didn’t feel she had enough time. Instead, she was concentrating on everything she had to do every day, so she felt like she was coping. This meant she had little time for herself and other people didn’t realise she was finding it hard to cope.

Take a few minutes to think about whether you’ve been avoiding thinking about what your problem is. The next part of this guide will give you the chance to write out a list of your problems.

Feeling like you have too many problems

Writing a list of your problems helps to break your difficulties down so you can deal with one at a time. It also helps you to feel less overwhelmed.

You know what the problems are, but not the solutions

It’s okay if you don’t know the solutions just now. This approach gives you a structure you can use to find possible solutions that are realistic for you. It’s important to be patient with yourself – you don’t have to have all the answers straight away.

"Everything's fine in my life – I don't know why I feel like this."

Sometimes you can’t always identify what the problem is – to a stranger, it might seem like your life is perfect. But problems can include how you feel about yourself and your life too.

Do you ever do any of these things?

• put yourself down – think negative thoughts about yourself
• think negatively – always worry about what might go wrong rather than think about what might go right
• feel like everything has to be perfect – set yourself unrealistically high standards, so nothing you do ever feels “good enough”

These thinking problems can also be tackled by the methods in this guide.

If you can’t think of any problems that could explain while you feel this way, even after working through this guide, you should consider looking at  the other mental health self-help guides on NHS inform  if you haven’t already. You could also make an appointment with your GP to discuss things further. You can find a local GP using  Scotland’s Service Directory .

Section 6 of 12

The next step is writing out a list of your problems. You can either:

• use the boxes below, and save and download the list to your device at the end of this guide
• download a sh eet to your device

Please note:  If you decide to download a sheet to fill in, the text you add to that sheet will only be saved to your device. If you use an iPhone, the only way to edit the problem list is by using a PDF app on your device.

Here are some tips to make writing your problem list easier:

• Remember there are no wrong answers   – even the small things, over time, can grow into big issues. Nothing you write in this list is too small.
• Think about what’s really important to you – often when we’re struggling with things that seem small, it’s because we’re having trouble with areas of life that really matter to us.
• Talking   – try to talk to someone you know well and trust. If there isn’t anyone you feel comfortable discussing your issues with, you could call a service like  Breathing Space .
• If you need to, take a little time   – get away from the situation to allow yourself time to put things into perspective. Why not make yourself a cup of tea, or go for a walk? It’s often easier to see what the problem is when you’re not in the middle of it.

Section 7 of 12

The goal of writing a problem list is to pick one problem to work on at a time. After writing your problem list, the next step is to select the one you want to work on first.

Which one you choose is up to you but we suggest starting with the one that looks the easiest, or least distressing, to solve. You could also choose the one that you feel is the most important.

The next step is coming up with ideas for solving that problem.

Mandy chose the problem “not having enough time to relax”. While getting her ideas down, she came up with the following list, to help her find the time to do this.

• Book Lizzie into an after-school club, like drama or dancing
• Ask a friend or neighbour to watch Lizzie one evening a week
• Forget about housework for the next 3 years
• Ask Lizzie to help with some of the household chores
• Find a gym with a class Lizzie could do and go together
• Ask my sister for help with some of the things I have to do
• Get more confident about saying “no” to doing things when I’m busy

Getting all your ideas out

Use the solution sheet below to start writing out possible solutions to the problem you’ve chosen. The idea is to think up as many ways as possible of solving it, not come up with the perfect answer right away.

It’s important to write down every suggestion you think of, even if it seems unrealistic or ridiculous. The idea is to free up your creative thinking – thinking freely can help you consider things you normally wouldn’t.

You can include things you’re already doing to try and solve the problem.

You don’t have to fill out every line – if you can only come up with 2 or 3 solutions, that’s fine.

Ignore the part about pros and cons for now – this will be covered in the next section.

Download a solution sheet you can print or fill out on your device

Please note:  the text you add to the solution sheet will only be saved to your device. If you use an iPhone, the only way to edit the solution sheet is by using a PDF app on your device.

Section 8 of 12

The next step is thinking about the pros (good things) and cons (bad things) of each solution you thought of. Writing these down can help.

As an example, here’s the list Mandy came up with for her chosen problem.

Problem:  not having enough time to relax.

Write the pros and cons of each solution in the boxes on your solution sheet.

Section 9 of 12

Listing the pros and cons should’ve made it easier for you to decide what to do next. If not, try reading over the list again and thinking of some more pros and cons for each solution.

Are you having difficulty choosing a solution?

There are a few things that can make it harder for you to decide on a solution.

No solution seems good enough

There’s no such thing as a perfect solution – if there was, it’s likely you’d have solved the problem already. Are you setting your standards too high?

Your solution might not be perfect, but it doesn’t have to be perfect to start making things better.

You're scared to make the wrong choice

There’s always a bit of guessing involved in choosing a solution, as we can’t look into the future and see what’s going to happen.

With a lot of problems, it’s better to do something different than leave things the way they are. Even if things don’t turn out the way you’d hoped, it’s still a good chance to learn something and practice these problem-solving skills. In the next steps you’ll also review whether your solution helped – if not, you can follow the steps to try a different solution.

Two suggestions seem equally good

If you can’t choose which looks best, it might not matter very much which one you choose – they could both work equally well. Try one and see how it goes.

"The more I think about choosing a solution, the more I worry."

Getting caught up in worry can end up becoming a problem on its own. If you find yourself getting stressed out by trying to think of a solution, there are a couple of things you can do.

• do a relaxation exercise – you can find some  here
• distract yourself – do something different for a little while, like watching TV or reading a book
• decide to forget about the problem for a few hours or even a day – after you’ve had a break, you will feel better when you start thinking about it again
• it could be a good idea to look at your problem list and start with one that feels less overwhelming, where it’s easier think of possible solutions
• maybe a problem needs to be broken down more into simple steps to make it easier to think about solutions – for example, change “the house is a mess” to “the kitchen needs to be cleaned”

If you’re struggling to choose a solution and feel you’re getting caught up in worry, it might be worth visiting the  Depression  or  Anxiety  self-help guides on our site. If you’ve come to this guide from one of these, feel free to go back and work through it again if you think it’ll help.

We also have a lot of material on  coping with stress  that you might find helpful.

Section 10 of 12

It can be helpful to make a plan for the solution you’ve chosen. Once you lay out a step-by-step plan, taking action on your problem stops being a big task and becomes a number of smaller, more manageable tasks.

For example, Mandy decided to get more confident about saying no to things. You can see her action plan in the examples below.

Use the boxes below to write out your action plan step by step. You can save and download this at the end of the guide.

Or, if you prefer, you can download an action plan below to fill out on your device.

Download an action plan

Please note:  the text you add to the action plan PDF will only be saved to your device. If you use an iPhone, the only way to edit the action plan is by using a PDF app on your device.

Section 11 of 12

This is the time to reflect on how problem-solving went. Remember, even if your solution didn’t go the way you hoped, it’s important to keep using this approach until you feel confident.

1. The problem is solved

Well done! Your solution worked. Here are a couple of things to remember in future:

• You might not be aware that you’ve solved your problem until you realise you haven’t thought about it in a while – that’s fine, and shows that you don’t have to dwell on problems to solve them.
• It might be that things haven’t changed, or haven’t changed that much, but you’re now more able to deal with it.

2. The problem is slightly better

If the problem is slightly better, but not solved yet, there’s still a little more for you to do. There are a few things that could help:

• Keep doing what you’re doing – your problem could be solved if you continue with your current plan of action.
• Choose another solution from your list – have another look at your pros and cons list and see if another option could work better. Maybe a combination of two or more is the answer. You might even have another idea for a solution when you look at the list again.
• Choose another goal – have another look at your problem list and see if there is something else you could work on for a while.
• Choose a connected problem – if there’s another item on your problem list that could help solve the one you’re still working on, spend some time on that. You can return to the first problem later.

3. The problem isn’t better at all

If things aren’t any better, there are a few things you can do:

• Think about whether your plan has had time to work – things might get better if you keep going.
• Ask if anything at all is different – some things might be bad, but consider whether or not they were worse before you applied this problem-solving approach. The situation might have improved without you realising it.
• Try another option – go back over your solutions list, and the pros and cons, and see if a different solution works better.
• Check if you followed all the problem-solving steps correctly and, if needed, go back over some or all of the steps again.

If there still isn’t any improvement after you’ve done these things, don’t worry. If possible, discuss the problem with a person you trust, like a close friend or family member. You could also talk to someone anonymously using a service like  Breathing Space .

However it’s worked out, you should be proud of yourself for taking these steps. Keep using this problem-solving approach and it’ll get easier.

Section 12 of 12

Keep using the techniques from this guide – they’ll continue to help you. It’s important not to fall into old habits or forget how to use this problem-solving approach.

Remember that the problems you work on using these techniques don’t have to be big or life-changing – they can be day-to-day issues, or even decisions you need to make as part of work or study. The more you practice, the easier problem-solving will be.

Further help

If you’re feeling distressed, in a state of despair, suicidal or need emotional support you can phone NHS 24 on 111.

If you feel you need more help with your mental health, try speaking to your GP, or  search for mental health and wellbeing services in your area .

For information and advice when you’re feeling down, you can phone  Breathing Space  on 0800 83 85 87.

The Breathing Space phoneline is available:

• 24 hours at weekends (6pm Friday to 6am Monday)
• 6pm to 2am on weekdays (Monday to Thursday)

If you found this guide helpful and would like to do more work like this,  Living Life  offers a range of structured psychological interventions and therapies to improve mental health and wellbeing. This service is appointment-based and specifically for low mood, or mild/moderate depression or anxiety. Living Life are open Monday to Friday, from 1pm to 9pm, and you can phone them on 0800 328 9655 for an assessment appointment.

To learn more about coping with mental health issues,  visit our other mental health self-help guides on NHS inform .

For information that could help solve problems related to your health,  visit our Care, Support and Rights section .

To find services in your area that could help with a range of health and wellbeing issues, visit  Scotland’s Service Directory .

Section 1 of 17

This guide aims to help you:

• find out if you could have symptoms of depression
• understand more about depression
• find ways to manage or overcome depression

How to use the depression self-help guide

Work through the guide on your device, using the "Next" button to move forward and use the "Previous" button instead of the Back button in your browser. To type in a graphic or diary, click or tap the part you’d like to fill in and use your keyboard as usual.

Last updated: 27 May 2021

Section 2 of 17

2. Symptoms of depression

Section 3 of 17

3. Symptoms of depression

Last updated: 3 July 2024

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“Problem-Solving” Or “Problem Solving”? Learn If It Is Hyphenated

Is it problem-solving or problem solving? Hyphenation rules seem to be a little confusing when you’re first picking up a language. Don’t worry, though. They’re not nearly as complicated as the language may have led you to believe!

Problem-Solving Or Problem Solving – Hyphenated Or Not?

When we discuss the problem-solving hyphen rule, we learn that problem-solving is hyphenated when used to modify a noun or object in a sentence. We keep the two words separated when using them as their own noun and not modifying anything else in the sentence.

Examples Of When To Use “Problem-Solving”

Now that we’re into the whole debate of problem-solving vs problem solving, let’s look through some examples of how we can use “problem-solving” with a hyphen. As stated above, we use “problem-solving” when modifying a noun or object in a sentence. It’s the most common way to write “problem-solving.” Even the spelling without a hyphen is slowly being pushed out of common language use!

• This is a problem-solving class.
• I hold a problem-solving position at my workplace.
• My manager put me in charge of the problem-solving accounts.
• They say I have a problem-solving mind.
• We’re known as problem-solving children.

Examples Of When To Use “Problem Solving”

Though much less common to be seen written as a phrase noun, it is still worth mentioning. It’s grammatically correct to use “problem solving” at the end of a sentence or clause without a hyphen. However, as we stated above, many people are beginning to prefer the ease of sticking to the hyphenated spelling, meaning that it’s slowly phasing out of existence even in this form.

• I’m good at problem solving.
• This requires a lot of problem solving.
• We are all trained in problem solving.
• My job asks for problem solving.
• Did you say you were good at problem solving?

Is Problem-Solving Hyphenated AP Style?

Have you had a look through the rules in the AP stylebook before? Even if you haven’t, there’s a good explanation for hyphens there. As we stated above, we use hyphens when linking close words that modify a noun or object in a sentence. They’re used to help a reader better understand what is going on through the modification of the clause.

Should I Capitalize “Solving” In The Word “Problem-Solving”?

The question of “is problem-solving hyphenated” was answered, but now we’ve got a new question. What happens to capitalization rules when we add a hyphen to a title. It depends on your own title choices, so let’s look a little further into the three potential options. The first option capitalizes only the first word and any proper nouns in a title. In this case, neither word in “problem-solving” is capitalized.

The second option capitalizes all words except for short conjunctions, short prepositions, and articles. In this case, you will always capitalize “problem” but always leave “solving” uncapitalized. The final option capitalizes every single word in a title. No matter what, you’ll capitalize both words in “problem-solving” when using this style to write your titles.

Does The Rule Also Apply To “Problem Solver” Vs “Problem-Solver”?

The same rule does apply when we use “problem solver” instead of “problem solving.” However, it’s not often that we’ll see a “problem-solver” modifying a noun or object (unless it’s a problem-solver robot or something). So, it’s most likely you’ll write “problem solver.”

Alternatives To “Problem-Solving”

If you’re still struggling with the hyphen rule of whether it’s problem solving or problem-solving, there’s one last thing we can help you with. We can give you some alternatives that have the same meanings but don’t require a hyphen. This way, you can be safe in your own knowledge without having to worry about getting the rules wrong.

• interpretive

Quiz – Problem-Solving Or Problem Solving?

We’ll finish with a quiz to see how much you’ve learned from this article. The answers are all multiple choice, so you should have a blast with them! We’ll include the answers at the end to reference as well.

• I’ve been told that I’m good at (A. problem-solving / B. problem solving).
• I hold my (A. problem-solving / B. problem solving) skills close to my heart.
• We aren’t great at (A. problem-solving / B. problem solving).
• These are all the best (A. problem-solving / B. problem solving) subjects.
• Can we have a go at a (A. problem-solving / B. problem solving) puzzle?

Quiz Answers

Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here .

• Full time or Full-time? Learn if “Full time” is hyphenated
• “Well written” or “Well-written”? Learn If “Well written” Is Hyphenated
• “On-Time” Or “On Time”? Learn If “On Time” Is Hyphenated
• Year round or Year-round? (Hyphen Rule Explained)

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Meaning of problem-solving in English

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• problem-solver

Examples of problem-solving

Word of the Day

to do something or go somewhere very slowly, taking more time than is necessary

Like a bull in a china shop: talking about people who are clumsy

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