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How to Solve Problems Easier: The Art of Not Overthinking Everything
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The bloke sitting across from me in the coffee shop yesterday was frantically scribbling notes on seventeen different napkins, muttering about quarterly reports and stakeholder alignment. Poor bastard looked like he was trying to solve world hunger when all he needed was a simple action plan. It got me thinking about how we've completely lost the plot when it comes to problem-solving in Australian workplaces.
After twenty-three years running training sessions from Perth to Brisbane, I've watched thousands of professionals tie themselves in knots over problems that could be sorted in twenty minutes with the right approach. We've created this culture where complexity equals intelligence, and simple solutions somehow feel inadequate.
Here's the thing that'll probably annoy half the business coaches out there: most workplace problems aren't actually that complicated. We just make them complicated because we think that's what's expected of us.
The Overthinking Epidemic
Walk into any corporate office in Melbourne or Sydney, and you'll find meeting rooms full of people having meetings about meetings. I've seen project teams spend three weeks analysing the best way to approach a problem that should've been resolved on day one. It's like watching someone use a chainsaw to butter toast.
The root of this madness? We've confused being thorough with being effective. There's a massive difference between the two, but somehow along the way, Australian businesses decided that more analysis always equals better outcomes.
I'll admit it - I used to be guilty of this myself. Early in my consulting career, I'd present clients with 47-slide PowerPoint presentations when a simple two-page summary would've done the job. Thought it made me look professional. Really, it just made me look like someone who couldn't get to the point.
The Three-Question Framework That Actually Works
Here's where I'm going to lose the over-thinkers completely. Every workplace problem can be broken down using just three questions:
- What exactly is happening that shouldn't be happening?
- What needs to happen instead?
- What's the simplest way to get from A to B?
That's it. No fancy frameworks, no Six Sigma nonsense, no design thinking workshops that go for three days. Just three straightforward questions that cut through the corporate waffle.
I know what you're thinking - "Surely it's more complex than that?" Sometimes. But 78% of the time (and yes, I've actually tracked this across my client base), these three questions reveal that the "complex problem" was really just a simple issue wrapped in unnecessary complications.
Take the classic "poor communication" problem that every second Australian workplace seems to struggle with. Most organisations will form committees, hire consultants, and implement new software systems. Meanwhile, the real issue is usually that Dave from accounting doesn't return phone calls, and everyone's too polite to tell him.
Why Aussie Workplaces Love Complicated Solutions
We've got this peculiar relationship with simplicity in Australia. On one hand, we pride ourselves on being straightforward, no-nonsense people. On the other hand, show us a workplace problem and we'll find seventeen different ways to complicate the solution.
Part of it's cultural. We respect hard work, and somehow we've convinced ourselves that if a solution comes easily, it can't be valuable. I've had clients literally ask me to make recommendations more complex because they didn't want their boss thinking they'd paid good money for "obvious" advice.
The other part is fear. Simple solutions feel risky because there's nowhere to hide if they don't work. If you implement a 12-step process and it fails, you can blame the process. If you try something straightforward and it doesn't work, you look like you don't know what you're doing.
This is completely backwards thinking, but it's everywhere.
The Power of Good Old-Fashioned Common Sense
Remember common sense? That thing our grandparents used to solve problems without needing a bachelor's degree in business administration? Turns out it still works.
I was working with a manufacturing company in Adelaide last year - they were having massive issues with staff showing up late. Management had been tracking patterns, analysing transport data, even considering flexible start times. Complicated stuff.
The solution? Moving the car park closer to the building. Staff were arriving on time but spending ten minutes walking from their cars. Simple change, immediate results. No PhD required.
The beauty of common-sense approaches is they're usually fast to implement and cheap to test. You're not committing to a six-month transformation program - you're trying something logical and seeing if it works.
When Simple Solutions Aren't Enough
Now, before the complexity lovers start writing angry emails, let me be clear: not every problem is simple. Some genuinely require detailed analysis and sophisticated solutions.
The trick is knowing the difference. If you're dealing with regulatory compliance, international supply chains, or major system integrations, then yes, you probably need more than three questions and a bit of common sense.
But here's what I've noticed over the years - even complex problems usually have simple components. Breaking them down into manageable pieces often reveals that 80% of the solution is straightforward, and only 20% requires the heavy lifting.
I learned this lesson the hard way during a massive change management project with a Perth-based mining company. We spent months developing elaborate communication strategies and training programs. What actually made the difference? Having the CEO walk around and talk to people directly. Revolutionary stuff.
The Art of Asking Better Questions
Most problem-solving failures happen because we're trying to answer the wrong questions. We get so focused on the symptoms that we forget to examine what's causing them.
For instance, instead of asking "How do we improve customer service scores?" try asking "What's making customers unhappy in the first place?" Different question, usually much simpler answer.
I've seen teams spend months trying to improve employee engagement training metrics when the real issue was that the office coffee machine had been broken for six weeks. Fix the coffee, fix the engagement. Not everything needs a strategic initiative.
The key is getting comfortable with obvious questions. Sometimes the most powerful question you can ask is "Why are we doing it this way?" followed immediately by "Is there a simpler way?"
Building a Problem-Solving Culture
Here's where most Australian workplaces get it wrong - they think problem-solving is a skill you learn in training courses. It's not. It's a mindset you develop through practice and permission.
Permission is the crucial bit. If your team thinks they'll get in trouble for suggesting simple solutions, they'll keep quiet and let the complications multiply. Create an environment where people feel safe saying "This seems unnecessarily complex" or "What if we just tried X?"
Some of the best problem-solvers I know never went to university. They're tradies, shop managers, and frontline staff who've been figuring things out practically for years. They understand that the best solution is usually the one that works reliably with minimal fuss.
The Quick Implementation Rule
One thing that separates effective problem-solvers from eternal planners is bias toward action. If you can test a solution quickly and cheaply, do it. Don't spend three weeks planning something you could try tomorrow.
This drives the perfectionists crazy, but here's the reality: quick tests teach you more than lengthy analysis sessions. You'll learn whether your simple solution works much faster by trying it than by thinking about it.
I had a client in Brisbane who was struggling with project delays. Instead of conducting a comprehensive review of their project management processes, we tried one simple change: morning stand-up meetings. Took one day to implement, immediate feedback, problem largely solved within a fortnight.
Not exactly rocket science, but it worked better than the six-month process improvement plan they'd been considering.
Technology: Friend or Foe?
Speaking of complications, let's talk about our relationship with technology. Somehow we've convinced ourselves that every problem needs a software solution. Can't track inventory properly? There's an app for that. Communication issues? Let's implement Slack. Staff productivity concerns? Time tracking software will sort it out.
Technology can absolutely help solve problems, but it's not always the answer. Sometimes the issue isn't that you need better tools - it's that you need better processes. Or clearer expectations. Or just more honest conversations.
I've watched organisations spend tens of thousands on project management training and software when the real problem was that nobody wanted to tell the client their timeline was unrealistic.
The most effective problem-solvers I know treat technology like any other tool - useful when appropriate, but not a magic solution for every challenge.
Stop Making Perfect the Enemy of Good
This might be the most important point in this entire piece: good enough solutions implemented quickly almost always beat perfect solutions implemented slowly.
Australian businesses are terrible at this. We want to cover every possible scenario, anticipate every potential issue, and have backup plans for our backup plans. Meanwhile, competitors are moving faster with simpler approaches.
The goal isn't to be reckless - it's to be practical. Most problems don't require perfect solutions; they require workable solutions that can be improved over time.
I see this constantly in small businesses that spend months researching the perfect customer management system when a simple spreadsheet would solve their immediate needs and buy them time to figure out their long-term requirements.
Sometimes good enough is exactly that - good enough.
The Human Factor
Here's something most problem-solving frameworks completely ignore: people are usually the solution, not the obstacle. Too often we design elaborate systems to work around human behaviour instead of working with it.
If people aren't following procedures, maybe the procedures are too complicated. If communication is breaking down, maybe you need fewer emails and more actual conversations. If teamwork is suffering, maybe the team needs to eat lunch together once a week instead of attending another workshop about collaboration.
The best workplace solutions I've seen recognise that humans are beautifully, frustratingly human. They work with our natural tendencies rather than fighting against them.
Getting Started Tomorrow
So where do you begin? Start with one problem that's been annoying you for weeks. Apply the three-question framework: What's happening? What should happen instead? What's the simplest path between them?
Then do the hardest thing of all - try the simple solution. Don't perfect it, don't get buy-in from seventeen different stakeholders, don't create a project plan. Just try it.
You might be surprised how often the obvious answer is actually the right answer. And if it doesn't work? Well, at least you'll have learned something quickly and cheaply, instead of spending three months planning something that might not work anyway.
The art of solving problems easier isn't about being smarter - it's about being braver. Brave enough to try simple solutions in a world that rewards complexity. Brave enough to trust your instincts when everyone else wants more data.
Most workplace problems are waiting for someone to stop overthinking and start doing. Why not let that someone be you?
Looking to develop practical problem-solving skills in your workplace? Our conflict resolution training helps teams cut through complexity and focus on solutions that actually work.