Why We Keep Solving the Same Problems

[00:00:01] Welcome to Business, Finance and Soul. My name is Shaun Enders and I'm a curious entrepreneur. I love exploring business, personal finance and consciousness. I'll jump around topics, offer my opinions and occasionally interview interesting people. Looking forward to going on this journey. Let's be curious together.

[00:00:26] Welcome back to Business, Finance and Soul. I've got to tell you, I love having this podcast, especially for episodes like today. There's just times in my life where I find myself doing something or thinking a certain way and going, gosh, you know what? I need to record an episode. I need to put this out because other people are probably experiencing what I'm experiencing. And today is no different.

[00:00:53] Really, I want to focus on problem solving and really what I would call a problem solving loop. And let me give you an example. There are times that I might focus on solving a problem that I've already solved.

[00:01:14] And the reason I might do this is because it's an easy problem that I've already solved. Let me give you an example of creating a budget in my personal life and saying, OK, hey, I've solved this problem. I know how much money comes in.

[00:01:34] I know reasonably well how much money is going out. And I should just be able to let that ride out. But I start tinkering with things. I start playing with stuff. I start feeling like I need to resolve the problem.

[00:01:51] I need to spend more time than is necessary on coming to to a conclusion or answer. And this can happen in my personal life. It also can happen in my business life.

[00:02:06] And I wonder if in your life you are resolving the simple problems. If you're resolving problems that have a lot of familiarity and feeling like you're making progress.

[00:02:20] But at the end of the year, you look at what you've accomplished and sometimes you go, oh, you know what? I think I just solved the same problem five different times.

[00:02:32] And you can come up with unique ways to feel like you're making progress because you've got five different solutions.

[00:02:39] We do this often. My wife and I with our kids with chores and allowances, I feel like we've already solved the problem in terms of the chores that they're responsible for and then how much weekly allowance they're supposed to get.

[00:02:55] And it would be pretty easy to just stay on course, stay on the path. But what happens is we fall off.

[00:03:04] We forget to do an allowance for a couple of weeks or the chores don't get done.

[00:03:08] And then we sit down and we go, we've got to solve this problem. We've got to we've got to close this gap.

[00:03:15] And when we look at each other, we're like, haven't we already solved this problem? Doesn't this already seem very familiar?

[00:03:23] This is something that I think all of us struggle with, which is really the consistency of post plan.

[00:03:33] So you've come up with a plan and then really the plan is good. You just have to work it.

[00:03:37] You just have to do it over and over again.

[00:03:40] So I want to get in today, you know, into some strategies around problem solving, around implementation, around consistency, because we have a.

[00:03:55] What two more months left in this year, which is crazy, where the end of October, we've got November and December, and you're going to look back at your year and you're going to want to know, what did I do?

[00:04:08] How did I do? You know, what is going to happen next year?

[00:04:13] We all know the New Year's resolutions and you should be taking inventory of how 2024 unfolded.

[00:04:19] Were you happy with the way that, you know, you handled your personal life, your professional life?

[00:04:25] Are you happy with the way that you've been consistent with either your money and your finances or maybe your diet or professionally the way that you've gotten ahead, either through your own business or working for someone else?

[00:04:42] And so we want to break the cycles of solving the same problems.

[00:04:48] But let's talk about the problem solving loop.

[00:04:52] Why do we do it?

[00:04:53] Why do we gravitate towards resolving problems?

[00:04:57] Well, number one, security and familiarity.

[00:05:00] I mean, it feels good to address a challenge that we know we can solve.

[00:05:04] And so that one, absolutely for me, I know unwittingly that I'm solving problems that I know I can solve.

[00:05:12] And so it's easy to do on a Sunday afternoon.

[00:05:15] Number two, instant gratification.

[00:05:18] I know that solving something quickly gives me that dopamine boost.

[00:05:23] It makes me feel accomplished.

[00:05:25] And so a lot of times, you know, things like cleaning my garage feels great instead of, you know, really taking the time to say, OK, how are we going to make sure that this is completely sustainable?

[00:05:41] Where do things go?

[00:05:43] Have we cleaned out the clutter?

[00:05:44] Do we have a place for everything?

[00:05:46] Does this ball go at a specific area or are we just kind of cleaning it and putting it into the corner?

[00:05:52] And then next week, I clean it all again and I feel great.

[00:05:56] But I'm not really solving the problem.

[00:05:59] I feel like I'm solving the problem because I'm cleaning the garage.

[00:06:02] But I haven't come up with anything that allows me sustainability.

[00:06:08] And that hits number three, which is avoiding the complexity.

[00:06:13] Because tackling new complex issues, it can feel uncomfortable.

[00:06:18] And so we subconsciously avoid those things.

[00:06:22] They are bigger than something that we're comfortable with.

[00:06:28] I talk to a lot of people that don't have life insurance because sometimes it's a little bit intimidating, right?

[00:06:36] It might not even be complex.

[00:06:40] But we avoid these things because it's an issue that we might feel uncomfortable with.

[00:06:46] And so I know where human nature is.

[00:06:50] We kind of tend to avoid things that make us uncomfortable.

[00:06:54] And complexity is one of those things.

[00:06:57] You know, complexity, I've had to really make sure when I look at compensation plans for sales teams that I don't fall into that trap.

[00:07:07] I don't want to avoid really challenging, complex initiatives because my brain gets overstimulated or I might feel uncomfortable.

[00:07:21] I have to really look at those and say, okay, these new complex issues, if I'm thinking about avoiding them, that's a good thing.

[00:07:29] That's a sign, you know, that's a sign that it's probably something I should lean into.

[00:07:37] So what's an action item?

[00:07:39] How do we take stock, you know, of really security and familiarity and the instant gratification and the avoidance of the complexity?

[00:07:49] We can take inventory of our recurrent problems.

[00:07:54] We can list out things that we feel like we've solved more than one time.

[00:08:02] Things like how we're going to save more money.

[00:08:06] Well, each month or each quarter, unless your income fluctuates, it's probably pretty easy to solve that.

[00:08:16] You spend less than you take in.

[00:08:19] It's very easy, but people make it extremely complex because it is something that we avoid because it doesn't always feel good.

[00:08:30] It's a long process.

[00:08:31] We don't feel like we're making progress often.

[00:08:35] And so I think starting with things like, hey, what do I keep trying to solve?

[00:08:42] Like saving more money or setting routines for the kids.

[00:08:44] We've got to bring awareness to those certain problems.

[00:08:49] And then we have to identify that we just really need consistency in these areas.

[00:08:55] We don't have to resolve it.

[00:08:57] We just need to create the plan and stay consistent.

[00:09:03] Next point is I'd like you to evaluate if it's truly a problem that needs solving.

[00:09:11] This is something that I thought was really great.

[00:09:14] I was listening to Elon Musk on Joe Rogan just a couple of weeks ago.

[00:09:19] And Joe had said to Elon, hey, are you going to have a battery in a Tesla that can go more than 400 miles?

[00:09:30] And Elon was like, that's not really a problem we need to solve.

[00:09:37] And so Joe's like, well, yeah, don't you want longer battery life?

[00:09:42] Doesn't that make sense?

[00:09:43] I mean, everybody wants more battery.

[00:09:45] We want to go more than 400 miles.

[00:09:48] And Elon was like, hey, listen, 400 miles effectively meets the needs of most drivers, either for commuting or to get to a charging station.

[00:09:58] And so I was just he's like, I don't want to use any of my resources to solve a problem we've already solved.

[00:10:07] And I was like, wow, that's that's so brilliant.

[00:10:11] You know.

[00:10:13] He had already asked himself, what's the true purpose?

[00:10:17] You know, does this solution already serve its purpose?

[00:10:21] Am I going to solve this again because it's easy or familiar?

[00:10:24] Like he could very easily Musk.

[00:10:28] He could very easily go, yeah, you know, it would be awesome to solve this problem and go to 600 miles or 700 miles and spend a lot of time on battery tech.

[00:10:38] That's totally unnecessary.

[00:10:40] And instead, he's like, we're going to solve bigger problems.

[00:10:43] That's that one's already been solved.

[00:10:45] And for some people, they say, no, it's not solved.

[00:10:47] I want 700 miles.

[00:10:48] But he he he would argue, no, you don't.

[00:10:51] The problem was solved at 400 miles.

[00:10:53] You just want this other thing.

[00:10:56] But truly, you don't need it.

[00:11:00] And that's where you ask yourself, what's the true purpose?

[00:11:04] Is this worth solving?

[00:11:06] Is this a is this just a want or is this a need?

[00:11:09] We need to solve this or I just want to solve it.

[00:11:12] And I thought that that was really, really great.

[00:11:14] I think that setting goals about revisiting an existing solution is.

[00:11:27] That's not really where I would go.

[00:11:29] You know, I would build on it.

[00:11:32] I would build on something instead of rehashing.

[00:11:37] You know, if you're if you've already established a budget, the next step could be learning about investments instead of rehashing the budget.

[00:11:46] So, for instance, if we if you're looking to set a goal to move forward or to solve a new problem, but you're looking and going, OK, well, we we put a budget in place for our family life.

[00:12:00] That's great.

[00:12:01] Well, instead of going back and rehashing the budget, maybe the next thing that you're going to solve is, do I understand mutual funds?

[00:12:09] Do I understand ETFs?

[00:12:13] What are some of the financial instruments or the market knowledge that I need to know in order to continue to gain confidence and increase my financial acumen?

[00:12:26] And so you can build upon something rather than just going back and resolving the same issue.

[00:12:34] And I think that that's something that's very exciting when we look at problem solving and we look at what we've already done.

[00:12:42] And I think that that's that's really something you can look at quarterly and have fun with it and say, well, we can go deeper in all these areas.

[00:12:52] We can always go deeper.

[00:12:53] I think when you look at sport, you know, it's very it's very easy to say, OK, well.

[00:13:02] I've been learning pickleball the last couple of years.

[00:13:04] I love playing tennis and more friends of ours have been playing pickleball.

[00:13:09] And so we've been able to have a lot more friendly days out of playing pickleball with a greater group of a wider group of friends that can play pickleball.

[00:13:21] And there's different levels.

[00:13:22] Everybody's, you know, playing pickleball these days, but there's definitely different levels.

[00:13:26] There's people who are just getting started and people who are really, really great.

[00:13:30] But the great thing about pickleball is that you can play together in friendly games.

[00:13:35] And the thing about it is when you get started, you might say, OK, well, I really want to learn how to serve.

[00:13:42] Well, sport shows you.

[00:13:44] Yeah.

[00:13:44] You know what?

[00:13:45] Once you've learned how to like hit it over the net, you don't really have to learn how to hit it over the net anymore.

[00:13:50] Now you're trying to actually increase the velocity of your your serve.

[00:13:55] You're trying to increase maybe the spin on your serve.

[00:13:59] You're trying to increase the way that you address your serve.

[00:14:05] And then all of a sudden it might not be any more about just hitting the ball over when you get up to the net.

[00:14:13] It might actually be about your your feet and where they're positioned.

[00:14:17] And now you start noticing the intricacies that are associated with how you play.

[00:14:22] You know, you're volleying.

[00:14:23] You really start noticing, oh, wait a second.

[00:14:27] This is how I would want to address the ball.

[00:14:30] This is where my body should be positioned.

[00:14:31] So you're not trying to resolve the things you've already solved.

[00:14:34] And sport is very easy to see that.

[00:14:38] You can go, OK, well, I already know how to do that.

[00:14:40] So how do I build upon it?

[00:14:41] And that's setting goals to move forward on problems that you've already solved.

[00:14:47] So you don't rehash these same things and stay stuck.

[00:14:51] So each time you you solve a problem, I think you can put it onto a solved and sustained list.

[00:14:58] This is really cool.

[00:15:00] This is reminders of what you've already solved.

[00:15:02] You know, it's it's actually really great.

[00:15:06] When you look at home maintenance and you go, OK, well, you know,

[00:15:10] I have all of these things and maybe you have a pool, maybe you have, you know, air conditioning.

[00:15:19] Maybe you have gardeners or grass.

[00:15:22] You have all these different areas within your house that you're maintaining.

[00:15:26] And you say, how are we solving this for maintenance?

[00:15:30] Well, once you have things solved, you just you let those things go.

[00:15:34] And you say, this is a sustained list.

[00:15:37] This has already been solved.

[00:15:38] We know we have a gardener or I know I cut the lawn every week.

[00:15:43] It's non-negotiable.

[00:15:44] I don't sit and try to rehash it.

[00:15:47] And I certainly don't go and find new gardeners.

[00:15:49] It's already sustained.

[00:15:50] And you can take that into multiple different areas within your life.

[00:15:56] Now, the next point is the boredom of consistency because it can feel mundane.

[00:16:01] The payoff is that it creates the space to tackle new problems.

[00:16:05] But I can tell you that sometimes solving the problem is the fun part.

[00:16:14] So although it might seem infuriating that you're like, oh, why do I have to solve this?

[00:16:18] But often your brain really does get that, as I mentioned earlier, that dopamine hit of solving a problem.

[00:16:25] You feel proud of yourself.

[00:16:26] And so things that are mundane that you already have going, you really want to embrace that.

[00:16:34] And you want to then recognize that you're freed up mental energy for bigger and more meaningful tasks.

[00:16:42] This is legitimately how people level up in life.

[00:16:46] They start with small things.

[00:16:48] They tackle them.

[00:16:50] It's sustained.

[00:16:51] They allow those things to continue to evolve and grow.

[00:16:57] But you keep solving new and more exciting things in your life.

[00:17:02] Next thing you know, you're really focused on big tasks, things that are really moving the needle in life.

[00:17:07] The way that you earn money, the way that you spend money, the way that you save and invest, the way that you volunteer your time, the way that you engage with friends.

[00:17:19] There was something that I found myself doing, wanting to recognize my friends' birthdays and trying to come up with all these solutions of how I was going to remember everybody's birthdays.

[00:17:32] Once I solved it, then the trouble for me was remembering that I had already solved it and then just doing it.

[00:17:43] Facebook has a great way to just plug in birthdays.

[00:17:46] You can see whose birthday is coming up.

[00:17:48] And I don't love putting on Facebook happy birthday.

[00:17:51] I actually love to text or call a person.

[00:17:53] But I needed that system of like, well, where would I find everybody's birthdays?

[00:17:58] I'm not going to remember everybody I know when they were born.

[00:18:03] And so that wasn't the hard part.

[00:18:07] The hard part for me was remembering that the problem had already been solved and now it's just consistency.

[00:18:12] Now it's just I had to go back to the system that was already in place.

[00:18:15] And so that's what's kind of like, oh, man, I solved this problem.

[00:18:21] Whereas for a long time I was going, how will I get everybody's birthdays into my calendar?

[00:18:25] How will I ask everybody what their birthdays are?

[00:18:27] And so I sat on that for a while.

[00:18:29] That's embarrassing to say.

[00:18:31] But truthfully, the problem was solved.

[00:18:34] It was very easy solution.

[00:18:36] And now I just had to do it.

[00:18:38] And so that's that's a big thing.

[00:18:40] Just do it.

[00:18:42] So as I mentioned earlier, quarterly check ins are great for things like finances, household management, these types of things.

[00:18:49] And annually, 100 percent, you should be looking at what did you solve this year?

[00:18:55] What did you get done?

[00:18:57] What did you progress?

[00:18:59] And make sure that you give yourself credit for how many problems you're solving.

[00:19:05] Make sure that you're tracking all of these areas that you have already solved and sustained on your solved and sustained list.

[00:19:12] And that's going to feel exciting for you to tackle bigger things as you move forward.

[00:19:17] But I know for for myself, this was something I had to get out for everyone to get it off my mind.

[00:19:22] And just to say, man, I've solved this problem.

[00:19:26] Let's just keep doing it.

[00:19:27] Let's just keep attacking it and having fun with it.

[00:19:31] And I hope that that you use some of this information as we head into 2025.

[00:19:38] And as always, stay curious until next time.