Diagnosing Problems Before Jumping to Solutions
AKA: Before you start color-coding your next Notion board… let’s pause for a sec
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Before You Solve Anything, Make Sure You’re Solving the Right Thing
We’ve all been there.
Something’s off. A process is clunky. A project’s dragging. A client’s breathing down your neck. And instead of sitting in that deeply uncomfortable “wait… what’s actually going on here?” moment, our brains throw on a cape and sprint straight into fix-it mode.
New system!
New planner!
New meeting cadence!
New Asana tag labeled “URGENT (BUT NICE)”!
But here’s the thing: if you don’t actually know the root problem, all those shiny fixes are just… décor for a mess you haven’t cleaned up yet. (Once upon a time, I had a prospective client ask for "lipstick on a pig” — and let me tell you, that’s a hard pass.) These “fixes” simply hide symptoms instead of curing them. Sometimes they even make the mess bigger.
The Problem with “Solutions-First” Thinking
When we skip diagnosis, we risk:
Solving the wrong problem altogether
Reinforcing broken systems (just with a shinier font)
Missing the human experience beneath the workflow
Burning trust with the people the solution is meant to help
It’s like prescribing a knee brace for a sprained wrist. The pain is real. The effort’s there. But the remedy? That ain’t it.
A Better Way: Slow Your Roll + Ask Better Questions
Here are five clarifying questions I use before I let myself reach for a solution:
What’s really going on here? (Don’t settle for the first answer.)
Whose pain is showing up most clearly? (The loudest voice isn’t always the most accurate.)
Where is the friction actually happening? (Zoom out before you zoom in.)
What’s already been tried? (Let’s not reinvent the same broken wheel.)
What does “better” actually look like? (Define it before you design it.)
The TL;DR:
Solutions are shiny. Clarity is gold.
Next time you feel that urge to fix/streamline/organize? Pause. Diagnose. Then decide.
Because the solutions that stick — and spark joy — are the ones aimed at the real problem, not the one that just happens to be loudest.
— Meg
